Headmaster Snape and the Scale of a Dragon 3
by jcwriter
Summary: An illfated conspiracy in Draco's Ministry ends in murder, and Arthur finds himself taking the fall, along with Muggles 'in the know.'  Who could he be covering for and why, and who is this ring leader behind the conspiracy to oust Draco?
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to Short Story 3 in the Headmaster Snape mini mystery series, which is a spinoff of the Jennifer Craw novels, Series 1-3 (which begins with Jennifer Craw and the Phoenix Wand; an alternate year 5 book.) _

_It's been a long time in coming._

_I actually began this story well over a year ago…but never could get around to finishing it. Anticipation for the last book was the main reason; and then after it came out the fact that an element of this particular short story I wrote actually happened to some extent in the last book put me off. But then after a nasty writer's block I was having this year was starting to wear on me I decided to reread all the books over, and I decided maybe this lil' story was worth putting out after all._

_It was difficult at first…the demons that came with the last book made it difficult to it pick back up, but I found if I do what I did the first time around and just read 1-4 and then read my series, it's not so bad. I am planning to make some minor changes to the series as a whole for fluidity's sake, although obviously certain things in the series will always be different; I can't change the way I set up family ties and distant relations without marring many of the points behind my stories. At the same time, the last three books also had some positive results too…Truth Seeking…as well as Dumbledore and Voldemort having it, was proven (legitimens) and my point that there had to be some way to turn on apparation in the castle for security and such was also cleared up. I am also delighted that A Christmas Carol Troll was close enough on the money not to really need changes at all. So I am taking heart in those, and although some of the differences in the original series are a bit jarring, I find them a necessary evil to keep continuity in the fanfic, especially as far as the original characters are concerned. There are some things I realized after rereading it that I should have explained better; like what happened to the Hog's Head, why Pettigrew's behavior changed, and how Severus' paradox saved his life during the Time Turner Switch. The reedits will probably take time, but definitely something I'm looking into; but don't expect huge changes because of JK 5-7._

_That said, I am actively considering another full novel series. There are actually a lot of things I had meant to put in to the original three that never got tied up, not in the least of which is the story of Alicia and Francis Pyther, not to mention Ambrose's story, not to mention what happened to certain artifacts and certain bad guys (yes I did leave some, really!) once the mess with Ciardoth settled down. I don't know if any of my old fans are willing to pick this up again and dust it off the shelf (figuratively speaking) but I've always felt that fan fiction was more about writing for one's own release anyhow. When the fourth book came out, I believed Severus deserved better than he got, which is why I started the series. Now that the series is over, I still feel that way by the end of book 7, and what's more, there are some of my own original characters that probably deserve better than to be left hanging as they have been. I have been neglecting them, and it's high time I finished what I started six years ago._

_This little jaunt is another short mystery, with a little more character development for Lucky and Ambrose, and perhaps others, as you will see. Have a good Halloween, and watch out for haunted paintings. JCWriter._

Headmaster Snape and the Scale of a Dragon

I

When most professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are off for the summer holidays, Severus spent most of his 'time off' in the Headmaster's Study, working on board proposals, attempting to stiffen school rules, or even sometimes patching up loopholes in existing rules that one student or another had irritated him by finding the year before. But the first two weeks of the summer were his to do with as he liked…in theory. Strangely enough, it hardly ever seemed to work out that way.

Most of the time, it was because Jennifer had made some plans for them to go abroad…not that he minded all so much, for it was one of the rare times that he could spend with his wife without either work or family pestering them. But this year Jennifer decided it was best for Lucky to spend her first summer at Baker Street, so it was there in the library that Severus attempted to find solitude. He had actually succeeded for an hour or so before hearing footsteps on the back stairs. With a quick sweep of his hand, the door locked with a soft click.

"Oh, no you don't, Severus Snape," Jennifer scolded from behind the door, rattling the handle. "It's time you should be getting ready!"

"Getting ready for what?" Severus asked grumpily.

"Would you mind opening the door? I'd rather not talk through it," Jennifer protested.

"It isn't as if you couldn't get in if you wanted to," Severus muttered, waving the door open. He then blinked, taking off his reading glasses to see her better. "Jennifer, what _are_ you wearing? Is that…"

"Muggle clothes," Jennifer explained, straightening her blouse and glancing down at her leggings. "Why else would I be wearing these instead of a dress?"

"Well, yes, but…is that…pink?" Severus asked dubiously.

"Obviously," Jennifer said with exasperation.

"I thought you hated pink," Severus commented warily.

"As much as you do, I'm sure, but they are her team colors, after all. In fact, everyone's taken to call them the Pinks. Now, come on. I'd like to get their early, if you don't mind."

"Team colors?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten! Lucky's football club? Their first game is today?" Jennifer said impatiently.

"Game? I thought that was merely an instructional football camp," Severus muttered with annoyance, turning to his book. Jennifer plucked it out of his hand.

"It is, but they still meet other teams from within the program. Come, now, Severus, you've never missed any of our other children's games…"

"We could hardly get out of them, considering we're professors."

"Well, you're not going to get out of these either, at least not for the two weeks you're here in London," Jennifer said firmly. "You might as well put the book down and get ready."

"I am _not_ wearing pink," Severus said flatly. Jennifer attempted to keep a straight face.

"I hardly expect you to, and I doubt Lucky expects you to either. And don't worry about the rules and things…Alex is coming along with a handbook so we know what's going on."

"What's to know? All they do is kick the silly ball into the silly net," Severus said, putting his glasses and book away. "Besides, I thought Alexandria looked a bit peaked at breakfast."

"Oh, she's feeling much better now," Jennifer said cheerfully. "I gave her some morning sickness potion. I hope she takes my advice and goes over to chat with Rose about it later. She really doesn't listen to me…why Severus!" she exclaimed after she glanced at his face. "You're not at all happy about this, are you?"

"Jennifer, when I agreed to four children and to adopt Corey all of those years ago, becoming the grandfather of a mob was the farthest thing from my mind. Three more grandchildren and we'll be caught up to the Weasley's running total," Severus complained. Jennifer simply chuckled at him.

"Well look at it this way, at least you know the family legacy won't die out anytime soon. Which reminds me…don't forget that tomorrow we need to go down to the Ministry to finalize Lucky's paperwork. We have to help her file for her surname change too."

"You're not going to let me have a single moment's peace this holiday, are you?" Severus asked with obvious annoyance.

"You'll get plenty of peace when you head back to work in two weeks," Jennifer said smoothly, completely unperturbed by his mood. "See you downstairs in five minutes. There, see? I am going to give you a moment," she added mischievously before slipping out.

Severus sighed and propped up his head in his hands, trying to pinpoint the exact moment that he lost control over his life.

"The game is really quite simple," Alexandria explained as she led her parents to the pitch. "It's rather like Chaser Ball. There's only one assigned position officially, and that's the goalkeeper, but that doesn't mean there aren't other positions. It's just that they're not in the rules." Jennifer gazed at Severus questioningly, but he was busy squinting at Alex as she thumbed through a regulations book. "There are defensive players, like center back, full back, wing back, sweepers…"

"Sweepers sound interesting…" Jennifer commented, but Severus was frowning.

"Oh, and then the attacking players, center forward, deep-lying forward, and of course there's mid-fielders… they're very important positions you know…"

"Yes, but what does Lucky play?" Jennifer interrupted again impatiently.

"She's the striker…center forward. That means she's the one who's supposed to kick or hit the ball in," Alexandria explained.

"Oh good, then it'll be easy to figure out when to cheer," Jennifer said enthusiastically.

"Perhaps we had best choose a seat away from the other parents," Severus suggested quickly. "Up there, perhaps?"

"Don't be silly, Severus. Of course we're going to sit with the rest of the team's parents," Jennifer said with exasperation as they climbed into the stands. Severus sighed and clamped his mouth shut, but his face held an expression that made the people they passed look nervous. Jennifer didn't seem to notice, working her way to a group of pink-clad families sitting on the other side of the stands. "Good Afternoon!"

"Afternoon," nodded a man in a pink Polo shirt who had light, thinning hair. "Ted Porter, real estate," he said, offering a hand.

"Jennifer Snape, I'm a teacher…my husband, Severus, daughter Alexandria."

"Daughter?" Ted said, looking Alex over.

"Civil service," Alex said cheerfully, sitting down. "Awfully nice day, perfect for a good game, isn't it?"

"Right enough, I'd say. You're with the Baker Street Bombardiers? Hampton's sitting on the far side today…"

"Sure, we're with the Pinks. We're here to see Lucky, Fortuna Conejo, a striker?" Alex prompted with a smile.

"Oh sure, Lucky! I've seen her at practice, though most the time she plays more a poacher than a striker; a good fox in the hole," he said enthusiastically. Jennifer and Severus glanced at each other mystified, while Alex's hand twitched to get to her book. "My son Beckett is the star midfielder, though I'm hearing he'll have his work cut out for him today…the Hampton Holers have a pretty imposing defensive."

It was then that Jennifer decided that Severus had the right idea in not saying much and to let Alex do all the talking. Severus shrugged off the chatter, adjusted his glasses and then glanced at his hands as if studying them.


	2. Chapter 2

II

Lucky's first meeting with her team had been awkward between her accent to her attitude, but one well-toed kick was all it had taken for her to get in their good graces. It had surprised her just how serious both the instructors and the other players took the sport, especially considering it wasn't any sort of formal club. It was further proof to Lucky that she was no longer in America; where soccer was just the place parents took their kids to because they didn't want them to get hurt playing anything rough. Then again, Lucky had to admit that safety had a factor in her choice of summer activities…at least it was a sport played on the ground and the balls didn't fight back.

"How's the lucky rabbit's foot today? Good? Ready for our first game?" Beckett asked on the way past.

"I wish we could have gotten to play more before this game, and with less stupid head-butting kicking and elbowing exercises," grumbled another boy.

"You're such a ninny, Jeffery!" Silvia declared. "Besides, with the way you block, you need all the practice you can get. I can't believe they're making him keeper today."

"'Ey, don't worry, I'll keep up," Lucky assured her.

"I don't want you to _have_ to keep up. I'd like a respectably low score for our first game," Silvia said. Just then Mr. Brown called them over to talk about positions and strategies.

Lucky attempted to listen despite her nature to be easily distracted, but when Silvia (who was as a rule never distracted) nudged her hard, Lucky had to turn and see what was up. On the other side of the pitch, a golden head of hair rose over the other team a good four inches above the rest, standing near the center of their team as they too went over last minute plans.

"I thought they weren't supposed to let anyone over fifteen in this league," she murmured.

"Bet he's a ringer," Lucky whispered back. "Midfielder or something."

"Or center forward," Silvia said glumly. So a striker himself? Lucky considered it as she gazed at the other team, but was drawn back to attention when a whistle blew.

Jennifer tried her best to keep up with the action after the game began, but there was such a mob of players she couldn't tell who had the ball. In fact, she got so turned around that she nearly cheered when the tall boy with the feathered blonde hair butted one into the net. Fortunately she heard the groans around her and caught herself before she clapped, straightening her hair instead.

"Jeffery Sparks hasn't got a chance against that Hampton boy," Porter said, shaking his head.

"Look at the size of him! Ain't no way that chap is fourteen. Sixteen more like," complained Mr. Cliffs, who was sitting behind them. "Someone should go have a word with the referees about this!"

"No, I do believe he is fourteen," said Severus. Everyone sitting nearby looked at Severus in surprise, for those had been the first words he had spoken since they had gotten there. "Our son was about that tall at that age, albeit leaner."

"You have a son older than Lucky too?" Porter said curiously, glancing at Jennifer again.

"Jennifer, doesn't that boy seem a bit familiar to you?" Severus asked, looking through a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles at his hands again.

"Hm? Should he look familiar?" Jennifer asked curiously, forcing herself to try and pick him out of the mob that had reached center field again. "Why, so he does!" she said with a surprised smile.

Lucky didn't recognize the boy, but she was already annoyed with his speed, agility, and the sweeping grin that went across his face just before he scored…it was as if he knew beforehand that it was going to go in.

"Damn it all, why doesn't Brown switch Jeffrey out?" Silvia cursed as she ran up beside Lucky after the second goal in a row.

"He needs the practice, _amiga_…"

"Yes, but why during our first game?" Silvia said.

"Lucky!" Beckett shouted with surprise when she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Instead he kicked it over to Seaver, who made a weak attempt to slide the ball past Hampton's keeper's feet.

"What sort of play was that supposed to be?" the goalkeeper barked at them as he threw it back in. "Just because your keeper is incompetent doesn't mean I am!"

"That's what you think you…" a short whistle blew as Lucky attempted to finish her sentence.

"Let's keep it in English, if you please, and mind your choice of words in any language!" the referee scolded her. Lucky felt a rush of heat in her cheeks when the keeper snickered, and she attempted to focus in on the game. The Pinks were two points down and making no progress, and now she was determined to get past that sniggering idiot who began to taunt her again the moment she had her back turned.

Severus might have missed the escalating exchange on the pitch had not Alex's cell phone rang just then. But the sound had caused him to look up just in time to see the Hampton's goalkeeper pantomiming a bullfighter, waving an imaginary blanket at the obviously annoyed Lucky.

"What?" Alex said with such horror and surprise that everyone's attention turned to her, including the other parents in the stands. "You must be joking, how did he get in? He what? No, I'm downtown. I'll pop right over…" she said and got up, despite the protests of those sitting behind them. "Sorry! Sorry! I've got to go," she said, Jennifer's eyes widening as Alex's met hers. Jennifer then turned to Severus.

"Muggle in the Ministry. Something about the telephone booth," Jennifer whispered to him fervently. "Perhaps one of us should go…"

"Don't you think the Ministry is more than capable of handling it?" Severus murmured back. "Besides, I'm watching the game."

"You haven't been," Jennifer said knowingly. Those weren't his normal glasses; they were Dumbledore's. He had brought his book with him and had turned it invisible, reading the entire time.

"I am now," Severus said in an even lower voice, nodding back towards the pitch. "And if you were paying attention, you would see there is some cause for concern. I am beginning to wonder if this wasn't an even worse idea than I originally thought."

Jennifer turned back to the game, looking between Lucky and the keeper thoughtfully. Would Lucky be able to keep her restraint if provoked? After all, she had only a year of training, and she did have a temper…

Indeed, Lucky had felt her temper start to rise, but had done everything she could to redirect that energy towards the game. Her team seemed to sense the change, and suddenly abandoned their defense position as Beckett once again got a hold of the ball. This time she was ready; and as he lifted it up to her she head-butted it high into the corner as their flailing goalkeeper made a futile attempt to recover it.

"Goal Fortuna Conejo," the referee said, making a note in the score.

"What kind of name is that?" the keeper spat once he caught his breath.

"My name is Lucky, and soon to be Snape," Lucky retorted.

"Lucky Ehsnape? Even worse," he jeered.

"Hey, knock it off, Chris," shouted the tall blonde, but his attention was immediately taken away as the ball came back into play.

It was not long before their striker got control of it, and Lucky hurried to catch up with the pack just as the tall boy made another shot for the goal, apparently aiming the ball right at Jeffery's head! Defensively, Jeffrey brought his arms up in front of his face, succeeding in ricocheting the ball back. Silvia instantly became alert, kneeing it away from the boundary and towards Beckett.

"What a ninny!" Silvia declared again, brushing her bangs out of her face in exasperation.

Lucky took off in a run to get in position ahead of the field as Beckett began to dribble the ball up the Pitch. But the Hampton defense was giving him trouble, nearly stealing it away.

"Your team doesn't have a chance," Chris said the moment she got into hearing again. "In fact, they stink, just like you do, For_tuna_ Cone_jo_," he said, intentionally slurring her name. Lucky whirled around and glared at him angrily. Suddenly she dove into the fray, coming in from the side and stealing the ball from Beckett so fast that he nearly stumbled over his own feet.

With the Pinks crying out her name and the other team racing to keep up, Lucky kicked the ball hard and sent it soaring right below the keeper's belt. Chris caught it, but at a price. As the crowd winced in sympathy, Chris' eyes went out of focus and he fell backwards, letting go of the ball as he lay there, groaning.

"A rather violent game, football," Severus commented to Jennifer in the stands.

"Caution, Conejo, unsportsmanlike conduct for rough play," the referee said, holding up yellow.

"Caution! That was intentional! Should have been a red card, not yellow!" Chris rasped as his coach tried to help him up.

"_Un pequeño accidente," _Lucky said innocently, showing with two fingers just how small she thought the mistake was. "Sorry, _chico_. I was just trying to make a goal. It is your job to defend it."

"It looked like an accident to me," said the tall boy from the Hampton team. He had come up alongside Lucky and she got a better look at him. He really was tall for his age…with a slender nose and a strong jaw that looked as if he hadn't quite grown into it.

"Chance! Take over keeper," the coach called out.

"Suits me better anyhow! But of course, you probably know why," he winked at Lucky, who blinked at him in confusion. "Let's see about finishing this game clean, shall we?"

"Lucky, stop fraternizing with the enemy and get over here!" Beckett snapped. Lucky hurried over as they set up for the free kick. "We're going to have major problems getting past this new keeper. He's tall and has incredible reach," he was saying when she got close enough to hear. "Keep it low, it's the only real chance we got of getting anything past him. We've got it tied now, we simply have to finish it before they finish us."

"Right. I don't suppose we could get one of them to take out our keeper so we can replace him too," Silvia suggested wryly.

Despite the fact that she hated Silvia's attitude in general, Lucky privately admitted that she was probably right. Now that Chris was out of the way and Hampton's main offense was stuck as keeper, the game took on a much more defensive tone. Back and forth the ball went, until it seemed to Jennifer watching with boredom from the sidelines that the game would go on forever.

"If this keeps up, the game's going into extra time," Porter commented, showing his own impatience.

"No, they don't do extra time in this club. They'll just call it a tie," Cliffs said from behind them. "They only got five minutes left."

"You mean there's a time limit?" Jennifer said with relief. Porter turned and stared at her.

"Of course there's a time limit. Whoever heard of a game that doesn't have a time limit?" he snorted. Sheepishly Jennifer looked over at Severus who decided to glance at his slightly folded hand instead.

Lucky was very conscious of the time, but with the Hamptons now completely on guard she found herself often flanked with players ready to stop her. She only needed the right opportunity! But as Beckett brought the ball up, another boy dove in front and the ball went flying down the wrong end of the field. Temptation hit her then as the ball was brought down by the other team and towards poor Jeffery. For a split second she contemplated what spell might give him a little help…that was when the tall boy's last words entered her head. _Let's finish the game clean, shall we?_

Feeling deflated, Lucky watched helplessly as the ball soared into the net behind Jeffery, still flailing his arms, and the parents of the Hampton Harbinger's cheered knowing there'd be little chance for Lucky's team to score in what time they had left. Strangely enough, Lucky realized it wasn't losing the game she minded so much as the fact that she had been looking forward to the challenge of trying to get a ball past the new goalkeeper.

"Well played! Bad luck," said many of the Hampton's when they came to shake hands. Lucky forced a smile on her face and joined the line, but didn't say a word when Chris pointedly avoided her.

"Congratulations," Lucky murmured half-heartedly to them, until the tall boy came up and gave her a more sincere shake of the hand.

"Bad luck. Perhaps we'll get to face off again later in the summer," he said with a smile.

"I would look forward to that," Lucky admitted with so much more enthusiasm. "But next time, it'll be us with all the luck." The boy paused then, a mysterious smile crossing his face.

"Oh, I have no doubt that you have a lot of Luck, Conejo," he said. "But don't forget, no matter what sort of luck you have, I'll always have a Chance," he winked at her. "Good afternoon, Headmaster…Professor Craw."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Chance. Keeping yourself occupied this summer, I see," Severus said solemnly.

"Yes, sir, but I'm not neglecting my summer homework either, sir," the boy answered.

"Summer homework?" Lucky echoed in surprise.

"Oh, you'll be getting it too soon enough," Jennifer teased her. "Good game today, Dale! I think," she added with a grin.

"You go to Hogwarts?" Lucky asked him accusingly.

"Of course. Ravenclaw, going into third year. Good game, Lucky, that kick was one in a million. See you," he said with a wave and then hurried to catch up with the rest of his team.

"Well, now that that's over with, shall we be getting back?" Severus asked, glancing suspiciously at the group of chatting parents as if half suspecting to get stuck talking to them again.

"But first, let's head to the Ministry to see how Alex is doing," Jennifer suggested.

"Oh, no we won't, Jennifer. We're going back to the house. I'm sure if we were truly needed we would have heard by now," Severus said. "I have very little time during the summer and I'd like to spend it in the study, if you don't mind. I'm not going back to the school without finishing my book." Jennifer sighed but decided not to argue, and Lucky wisely decided to do the same.


	3. Chapter 3

_ A.N. Redid my chapter breaks, hope that helps! JCWriter. _

III

Much to the dismay of Severus Snape, that wasn't the end of it. It was not long after Jennifer retreated to the kitchen and he got settled with his book that there was a knock on the door of the study. In walked Andrew, meeting his father's scowl with a cheerful and sickeningly charming smile.

"Don't you have a date or something?" Severus asked irritably.

"Oh, not for a few hours," Andrew said, plopping down in a chair. "Besides, I thought you frowned on my escapades."

"As long as you maintain respect and appearances for your job, what you do with your personal life is your decision and none of my business. If you want to ruin it, that is your affair," Severus said bluntly, still gazing at his book.

"So you say, Father, and yet you seem to forget that point often enough when the mood strikes you," Andrew said good-humouredly, sitting down. "At least I don't play Zoë's game. She just got married again."

"Yes, been married since Christmas from what I understand," Severus murmured distractedly, turning the page.

"No, that was the airline pilot. This one is actually a wizard…works on some sort of study on Muggle industrialization and their damage to the environment."

"To each their own, I suppose. Now, if you don't mind, can we get to the point of this conversation so I may have the opportunity to barricade the door?" Severus grumped impatiently.

"Very well, if you insist," Andrew said calmly, leaning back and folding his hands. "I have been once again volunteered by the rest of my siblings to pose a simple question to you concerning the way you've been acting since just before school got out this year. And the question is, what's eating you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Severus said, frowning at him. "I am perfectly fine and I think the four of you would be better off concerning yourselves with your own actions. I suppose Alex put you up to this?"

"No, although she did mention your mood hasn't improved since you came here, and Mum has been no help at all. We've asked her how you've been and all she told us not to worry and that you simply needed some rest and solitude."

"Then why didn't you listen to her?" Severus snapped.

"Perhaps because it's the first time I can recall Mum ever telling us that we should leave a situation alone," Andrew said wryly. "None of us can figure out the whys of it. Are the two of you fighting again?"

"Andrew…" Severus began with a sigh, but then paused when he heard a flutter of the window. Two large tawny owls were crashing insistently against it, until finally Andrew went over and opened it. Immediately two notes shot in, twisting in the breeze to land in Andrew's hand and Severus' lap.

"Hullo? Emergency counsel meeting in an hour? Well, that'll spoil dinner…" Andrew mused. Severus simply began to rip his up into little pieces. "I take it you're not planning to attend? The note says mandatory…"

"If they want to press the issue, I shall simply resign from the council. I have no business in politics anyhow," Severus said flatly as the door opened and Jennifer appeared with a note in her hand. One look at him was all it took for her to fold the note over and put it in her pocket.

"Well I am going, if no one else," Andrew declared, turning for the door.

"Feel free to come back after, Andrew," Jennifer said.

"I have a date, but I'm sure Alex will give you the latest. Keep an eye on him, Mum," he added, jerking his head back to Severus who had already gone back to his book. "I'm not sure we can trust him." Jennifer smiled sympathetically at her son but didn't say a word as she followed him out. Severus sighed, drumming his fingers on his book for a long time before snapping it shut.

The next morning, Severus seemed in no better of a mood; despite being well rested and rising to a pot brewing coffee and a breakfast of eggs benedict and capers. He sat down without a word, although he did glance over thoughtfully at Jennifer, who was standing at the counter with a new cookbook in hand, while their House Elf Mercy was working on the grocery list.

"What about this one, Mistress? It has many things in it that we always keep stocked," Mercy suggested after it had been pleasantly quiet for several minutes.

"Yes, fish tacos sounds like a reasonable compromise," Jennifer agreed.

"Oh no, no, no, no! Can we _not_ have any more experimental foods while I'm here?" Severus complained.

"Now, Severus. It's a very important day for Lucky! You can handle it for one night," Jennifer scolded him. "Yes add that salsa stuff to the list, Mercy. I'm not sure I could find all the ingredients to make it myself."

"How about we do something really radical for dinner and have some more traditional foods for a change?" Severus suggested.

"Perhaps tomorrow, Severus, but today I'm afraid you're outvoted," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I know. When am I ever entitled to an opinion in this house?" Severus said abrasively. Jennifer turned and looked at him as if deciding how to answer him, but he continued before she could make up her mind. "And just where is Fortuna this morning?"

"She went to fetch Ben's newspapers. I was hoping it'd settle her down a bit," Jennifer sighed. "Alex went to work early. She seemed rather angry about something, and she wouldn't look at me. Did you do something to upset her?"

"I haven't spoken to her since yesterday. Why is it that every time someone seems upset you ask me if I said something?" Severus scowled.

"Maybe I'll ask Ben," Jennifer decided, walking through the house to the front room where Ben sat squinting at the computer screen. But before she could say anything, Lucky hurried in the front door, looking a bit out of breath. "Lucky?"

"Either BELA is some organization studying aliens, or we got problems, I think," Lucky said, unfolding one of the papers. Jennifer grabbed it out of her hands.

"Secret government foundation linked to experiments in psychic phenomenon and alien technology?" Jennifer read, then stared at the first picture. "Great stars, that's the old vault in the Ministry of Mysteries! How did anyone get down there? Severus, come look at this!"

"Well, there are all sorts of magical detectors and things in the Ministry, but how many devices are there really against non-magical means?" Ben asked.

"There are some Muggle detectors in the reception area, I'm quite sure of it," Jennifer said, handing Severus the paper. He glanced at it only momentarily before handing it back.

"Hardly the first time something like this has happened," Severus said. "Since he's decided to come forth with pictures, it won't be long before your father's men can track him down and convince him he was hallucinating. By tomorrow the headlines were surely read that it was all a hoax."

"It reminds me of when magic was on the fritz when we were kids…" Ben began.

"This is an entirely different situation," Severus said firmly. "This is quite assuredly an isolated incident. Besides, I haven't been experimenting with anything risky lately," he added in a murmur. Ben couldn't help but look amused at that.

"I still don't understand how he could have possibly got in undetected," Jennifer frowned.

"Well, since we have to go down there anyway today, I am certain that insatiable curiosity of yours will soon be satisfied," Severus said, knowing full well that she already had intended to bring it up. "And the sooner we get ready, the sooner we can go."

"Good idea! I've got your dress laid out already, Lucky, you'd best snap to it."

"Oh, alright," Lucky said, making it up several steps before freezing in her tracks. "Did you say, 'a dress'?" she asked in horror.

Jennifer frowned when they stepped into the Ministry. She had been expecting a crowd, but everything seemed quiet. Penelope glanced up from her desk and immediately nodded them up the hallway.

"You see? Nothing at all to be excited about," Severus said calmly as they went up the hall. "Typical Saturday, the place is empty as usual. Stop dawdling, Fortuna. I thought you were looking forward to finalizing all of the paperwork."

"Yeah, but not dressed like this," she muttered.

"Honestly, Lucky, you look lovely! You can't always run about in old jeans and a tee shirt," Jennifer scolded.

"They're conditioned, not old," Lucky corrected. "Can I at least lose the bow?" Jennifer got ready to protest when she caught Severus' face.

"I saw that sneer, Severus, now let's not get started. Just because you have always been lenient on dress codes outside of school doesn't mean I like it. After all, she's officially becoming a Snape today, thanks to a lot of string pulling by both Judge Vallid and Magistrate Muse. You can suffer being presentable in front of the Magistrate for one afternoon," Jennifer lectured.

"He's seen her the other way, Jennifer. I myself wonder if they'll believe we ordered a substitute for the day," Severus said casually. Jennifer glared at him.

"It's the same girl, with or without the frills, Severus."

"Precisely my point, Jennifer," Severus said smoothly.

"Well, it's a moot point, then. We're already here and if you had any objections you should have already spoken up…and not in front of Lucky, either," Jennifer said with a nod, glancing at Lucky, who was grinning.

"Is okay, Jackie, it's nice to see you two acting human for a change, especially him," Lucky said, jerking a thumb at Severus, who then squinted. "What's been eating you lately?"

"Concentrate on your own affairs, Fortuna," Severus frowned at her.

"She can't help it, she is a Gryffindor," Jennifer teased him.

"Don't remind me," Severus said. He paused as someone entered from a side hall, and then nodded when he saw it was the editor of the Daily Prophet, Ron Weasley.

"So there you are! I wondered when you would show up," Ron said. "They're all hanging about in the Non-magical Citizens Department, and I'm sure they're waiting for you."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, really. We had a previous engagement with Magistrate Muse," Severus said.

"Yes, Lucky's officially becoming a Snape today," Jennifer added.

"Really? Sorry, Lucky," Ron said, ignoring the change in Snape's expression. "If you ever need blackmail to keep these two in line, just talk to Harry and me. Especially on how Snape was_before_ he met Jennifer…"

"Thank you, Mr. Editor, now if you don't mind…"

"Good luck, Lucky, you'll need it," Ron winked before continuing down the hall.

"What was all that about?" Lucky asked.

"Never mind, we're close now," Severus said in annoyance and stopped in front of a door, knocking.

"Something about a Muggle registry, Severus…" Jennifer began.

"Whatever you read from him, it can wait," Severus interrupted firmly.

"I was hoping to pop over to see father afterwards anyhow," Jennifer said easily, getting an annoyed look in return. Just then, the door opened and Muse's elderly face appeared behind it, smiling warmly at them.

"Come in, come in, I've been expecting you," he said, opening the door wide. "I trust there have been no change of hearts?"

"Perhaps a few more moments to think it over?" Severus said expressionlessly. Jennifer nudged him, but Archimedes Muse simply chuckled.

"And we're filing a name change as well, correct?" he asked.

"Can I change my first name too?" Lucky asked brightly.

"There is nothing wrong with Fortuna," Severus said in annoyance.

"I can hardly argue. One of my three daughters is named Fortuna," Muse said.

"I bet she got teased," Lucky muttered.

"No, not when she got to be about your age and found she had a talent with shrinking spells…"

"And spent many hours in detention, thank you, please don't give her any ideas," Severus said. Muse simply looked amused as straightened the paperwork in front of him and they got down to legalities.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

Maurice Thomson Craw looked up from his book on dark wizards, glancing between Arthur Weasley and his father. Then he shook his head and went back to reading, furrowing his brow any time he didn't understand a word.

"I see absolutely no cause for you or anyone else to get upset about this, Arthur. Frankly, I think it's something that should have been done years ago," Thomas said firmly.

"Thomas, these are our families we're talking about…"Arthur reminded him.

"Not _my_ family," Thomas retorted.

"And what about Ben?" Arthur asked. Thomas grimaced.

"The husband of a granddaughter hardly counts as family, especially a granddaughter who was corrupted by outside influences to have a predisposition towards Muggles by her babysitter…" Thomas said, looking at Arthur fixedly.

"Now, Father, Ben is my nephew," Maurice protested calmly, turning the page.

"Yes, but that's no reason to acknowledge him as family, he was…_incidental_," Thomas said, a bit flustered.

"The point, Thomas," Arthur interrupted, "is this law effects us all in some way or another, and the council voted for it in the heat of the moment, not reason…"

"Nevertheless, I plan to enforce it, Arthur. It's for their own good. It's for everyone's own good," Thomas said fervently, a flash in his stormy eyes.

"Is it? I wonder…" Arthur murmured. But before Thomas could come up with a suitable reply, there was a knock on the door. "Sounds like Severus."

"Maurice, let your brother in," Thomas grunted.

"The very person to straighten you out, too. You'll see, he'll agree with me," Arthur said as Maurice put down his book and opened the door, staring at Severus, Jennifer, and Lucky balefully.

"Well, come in then," Maurice said, stepping out of the way.

"Why, hello, Maurice! Wasn't expecting to see you today, but its just as well!" Jennifer said brightly. "Lucky, this is my brother, Maurice. Maury, this is the newest member of our family, Fortuna Snape, all finalized just now."

"You could have brought her by sooner," Thomas said.

"Oh come, now, Father, we've only just gotten settled at home. Besides, you may have scared her and made her change her mind," Jennifer said sweetly.

"Call me Lucky," Lucky said, offering her hand.

"And you may call me Uncle Maurice, if you don't mind," Maurice said and went back to his book, ignoring the outstretched hand.

"What a creepy kid," Lucky said, earning a hard nudge from Severus.

"I see you've started him on family history already," Jennifer said, glancing at the book title. "Isn't that a bit advanced for him? You didn't start me on that book until after my first year of Whitebridge."

"If Ambrose can read it, Maurice can," Thomas snarled. Arthur glanced around, feeling the temperature in the room go up five degrees.

"Thomas, I understand that you're not happy with the fact that Ambrose is attending Hogwarts early. There are many times when I still don't particularly approve of it myself," Severus said, earning a wry look from Jennifer. "But I also don't care about how you keep attempting to compare Maurice to him. He is a unique individual living under entirely different circumstances. Maurice may be slightly advanced for his age…"

"Slightly?" Thomas repeated hotly.

"Children, how would you like a bit of a tour of the Ministry?" Arthur put in quickly.

"I've seen it," Maurice said curtly.

"I won't dwell on the point, Arthur, I simply don't like the way he is pushing him. I see another Craw getting stripped away of his childhood in favor of a few idealistic family creeds, and I'm rather tired of keeping quiet about it," Severus snapped.

"Thus speaks the _perfect_ parent," Thomas said dryly.

"I know I'm hardly perfect…as far as parenting goes, anyway," Severus added. "But I have at least attempted to learn from my mistakes. You seem to be making many of the same ones." Thomas stared at him for a moment before turning his daughter, whose expression of surprise quickly melted when she felt her father's eyes on her.

"Listen to him, Jen-girl! Your husband is dragging you into this now. Don't blame me if the two of you are having problems. You knew she was a Craw when you married her," Thomas said, laughing him off with a wave of the hand.

"That is not why I am bringing it up, although she does have her moments. I simply want to remind you that your influences over your children will last a lifetime and most likely will come back to haunt you. Do you really want Maurice to grow up as cynical of you as Jennifer is?"

"And now he's putting words in your mouth," Thomas snorted.

"Actually, I think he covered my opinion quite well," Jennifer said easily, despite the fact she was gazing unsurely over at Severus. "Still, we hardly came to here to argue, especially in front of the children. I just thought you'd like to see Lucky, that's all."

"Good to meet you," Thomas grunted. "Now, get out."

"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't just sit quietly through this family arguing ritual of yours just to have you throw them out," Arthur suddenly interrupted. "At least not until I hear what Severus thinks of this new law."

"New law?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"The one they passed last night declaring that all persons of non-magic ability living in our society must register with the Ministry and carry special identification," Arthur explained. Severus raised a brow, but Jennifer merely frowned in bewilderment. "The recent break-in has some of the council in a tizzy…well, perhaps not so many as that, but every single wizard and witch that _was _concerned about it showed up last night, while anyone who didn't care…"  
"We were busy," Severus interrupted with a flash in his eye.

"I wasn't accusing you, Severus, I wasn't there either," Arthur admitted sheepishly. "But I do think something must be done before they actually start carrying this insanity out."

"And what would you have me do, Arthur, call another emergency meeting in attempt to get enough people to show up this time to try and counter it? You know what sort of majority that would require," Severus reminded him.

"I don't understand. What exactly is so bad about this? It's simply a matter of having a way to check and make sure it's someone who belongs," Jennifer said.

"You see, Arthur, you're making too much of the whole thing. It's for their good as well as ours," Thomas said.

"Really? Then why is it that we aren't all required to have one? The witches and wizards as well as their families?" Arthur asked bluntly.

"Oh, don't be foolish, Arthur, of course we wouldn't need one," Thomas sighed. "Most of us don't even use the regular entrances to our neighborhoods and communities, they Apparate, Floo, or broom in, it'd be futile to even try to keep track of our moving about."

"Perhaps, Thomas, although logistically I'm not quite sure that such a law can be realistically enforced even on the rest of our community either," Severus said. "How could you possibly card every individual who may or may not have magical power in every niche and corner area of ours across the country?"

"If we see anyone suspicious, we can quickly card them and know for certain that they belong. And that is that, Severus. It's no different than asking a foreigner for a passport if they're somewhere they don't belong."

"These are not foreigners, and they're not outsiders, either," Arthur said firmly. "They are members of this community and I'll be hanged if I let any of you attempt to treat them like criminals."

Thomas simply shook his head as Arthur Weasley strode out the door. Jennifer glanced up to see Severus was lost in thought.

"You know, I think he's really starting to lose it. I hope one of those kids of his take him in before he gets too far gone," Thomas said.

"I don't know, Thomas. I think he's sane enough," Severus said, Thomas raising his brows in response. "Jennifer, perhaps we'd better be getting Lucky home. I imagine the others will be congregating there before too long."

"Surely you don't agree with him, Severus?" Thomas asked with exasperation.

"Let's just say I can see both sides of this argument and prefer to stay neutral," Severus decided. "Feel free to bring the family over for dinner, although I won't guarantee anything will be palatable." Jennifer gave him a dirty look.

"I'll let you know after I check the television schedule," Thomas said, waving them off. Lucky glanced over at Maurice, who gave her little more than a glance before turning back to his book.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Second Chapter of the day. Have a good holiday, everyone. JCWriter_

V

"Lucky! Come away from that silly box, you have guests," Jennifer scolded as she headed back towards the kitchen. Corey stepped into the living room behind her, shaking his head at Lucky and Ben who were both sitting on the couch.

"But I didn't get to see it last night, you made me go to my room too early," Lucky complained. "It's not very long…behind the scenes stuff, you know?"

"I can't understand the program let alone the 'Confidential' of it," Jennifer said. "Now there are better things to do, so turn it off."

"We'd best mind if we want to eat. We'll watch it on Wednesday," Ben murmured with a wink, clicking it off despite Lucky's best efforts to look obstinate.

"Andrew, I think you're making too big a deal out of this," Aurelius was saying when Jennifer got to the kitchen, Corey following close behind. "It was just a reactionary vote. In a few weeks they'll forget all about passing the law to begin with."

"Well, the wizards might forget about it, but I seriously doubt the Haveners will, or any others in similar position," Corey said, sitting on a barstool. "They've worked too hard to get accepted."

"And now they'll finally have proof they belong here," Aurelius said.

"When we wizards don't need proof to begin with," Andrew finished.

"Honestly! Can't we just not speak of politics for one night? This is supposed to be a gathering for your sister, not a family debate," Jennifer scolded them. "Severus, do stop lurking by the door and lend a hand!"

As the others turned to look over at him, Severus shifted his eyes to meet each one of theirs in turn.

"I'm going up to the study," Severus announced. "I have some work to do…in peace and quiet, hopefully," he added before melting down the back hall. Andrew, Aurelius, and Corey all turned to look at Jennifer at once.

"You two having trouble again?" Aurelius asked, squinting at her.

"No, not particularly, why do you ask?" Jennifer said briskly, not meeting his gaze. "Oh, there's the door. I suppose that'll be Alex…Alicia sends her regrets."

"Again?" Andrew frowned.

"Now, I'm sure she'll be by in a few days, but she's on some sort of nature excursion and can't really leave without being noticed at the moment. Good evening, Alex!"

"No father?" Alex asked warily, peering around the corner.

"Skulked off already," Andrew said. "What is this green stuff again? Poisoned dragon liver, what? Corey, do they poison the dragon, or just the liver?"

"Oh, stop it," Jennifer scowled at him. "It's guacamole and that joke is as old as the hills."

"It's just as well Father has skulked off, because I'm not speaking to him," Alex declared, sitting down. "In fact I probably shouldn't be speaking to you either, Mum."

"As you like. I'll just read it from your face," Jennifer said easily.

"Aurelius can make you stop," Alex said sweetly back. "Rel?"

"Tell you what. Let's pretend this isn't a family gathering so we don't find ourselves degenerating to teens again," Aurelius said. "What are you upset about this time, Alex?"

"The stupid new law of course, outing every person in our society who doesn't have magic," Alex said. "It's the most prejudiced thing we've done in forever! And it won by a margin of two votes," she added, glaring at her mother.

"Before you get started, Alex, I really don't see anything wrong with this new law," Jennifer said. "Ben doesn't seem to mind…" she added as he and Lucky came in from the dining room.

"It's just a card. Besides, I never have any reason to go any wizard areas unless Alex is with me, and she's a Snape," Ben chuckled.

"I'm a Clemmons now," she protested, poking him in the chest. "And you're being oppressed whether you see it or not! Next they'll be making you sew stars to your shirts!"

"Alex, don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Ben sighed.

"I agree, that's a bit too far, Alex," Andrew frowned at her.

"Really? Just because Voldemort is dead and the Death Eaters have all but gone doesn't mean the sentiment still isn't lurking. This society is only a footstep away from becoming monsters again, not leaps and bounds like some of you may think," Alex said, frowning when no one seemed to react. "Can that really be all that surprising with son of a Death Eater as the Minister of Magic?" she added. Aurelius gave her a really hard stare.

"You're a daughter of a Death Eater too, you know," he said at last. Jennifer slapped her bowl down hard on the counter.

"There will be no more discussion about politics tonight. This is a family event, and that is that," Jennifer said firmly, and then paused. "What was that noise?"

"Not enough base for a Harley," Lucky said. Jennifer looked blankly at her.

"Probably Uncle Sirius, Zack has the Harley," Corey chuckled. "Sirius has the rebuilt chopper with a side trailer."

"Oh! That thing! Lucky, answer the door, will you?" Jennifer said distractedly. "And someone tell your father to come down."

"Not me, I went last time," Andrew said.

"I'm helping you, Mum. I'm certainly not going up," Aurelius said, grabbing a handful of dishes.

"Well I think we should just leave him up there," Alex said.

"_Dios mio,_ I'll go, chill out, will ya?" Lucky said in annoyance as she strode into the hall, opening the front door just as Sirius, Anna and Lindsay climbed the last step. The thirteen-year-old girl smiled shyly at Lucky, as she conscientiously tried to fix her short, helmet-matted curly hair.

"_Holá._ Welcome to the sanitarium," Lucky greeted them. Sirius laughed.

"I was wrong, Anna, maybe she does know what she's getting into after all," he grinned as they headed to join the others while Lucky headed up the back hallway.

The door of the study was locked, and Lucky's knock received no answer. Sighing, Lucky cracked her knuckles then put her hand on the doorknob, concentrating a moment before turning the handle and opening it. Severus, sitting at a desk at the far side of the room with several huge tomes open in front of him, scowled as she stepped in.

"If your mother sent you up here in some attempt of cajoling me downstairs, you are both wasting your time. And don't ever let me catch you opening a door like that in this house again," he added for good measure, returning to his work.

"You didn't answer when I knocked," Lucky said defensively.

"Yes, that and the fact the door was locked should have given you some clue that company was not wanted. Now, if you don't mind?" he said, drumming his fingers impatiently.

"It's okay, Professor, I wasn't really es'pectin' you to come down," Lucky said with a shrug. "But I wanted to ask you about something that just came up, 'cuz nobody else will give me a straight answer." Severus stared at her a moment.

"I'm hardly in the mood to humor you with a prompt," he said impatiently.

"Oh. Sorry," Lucky said. "What's a Death Eater?" Severus stared at her again, frowning. "Every time I ask anybody about it, they tell me I'm lucky not to know…."

"You say this just came up?" Severus squinted. "Downstairs?"

"Yeah, they were arguin' about the Minister, and Alex said he was the son of one, then Rel said she was the daughter of one, so…"

"I see. Shut the door, Fortuna," Severus said with a sigh of resignation, taking off his reading glasses. "No, with you on the inside. Sit," he ordered, tapping the blue fire in the fireplace so that a cool breeze wafted into the room. Lucky did as she was told, plopping down on a large red armchair and looking at him expectantly. "Things in our world have not always been as…complacent…as they are now," he began. "It was not so long ago that we were inundated with destruction, and all life as you see it now hung upon a thread."

"You mean like a war?"

"Oh yes, a war," Severus said thoughtfully. "A war about power and superiority…or the false sense of it. The Death Eaters were the followers of Voldemort, and they often acted as jury and executioners for him. He of course seeing himself the judge of all mankind, who took little time in deeming it unworthy of his presence."

"Does that include his own followers?" Lucky asked half meaning it as a joke, but Severus gazed at her seriously, nodding briskly.

"Followers were a necessary evil, one cannot lead if there is no one left to follow, but I believe he despised them as much as anyone, including the Muggles who were the easiest targets for him to torture and take out his frustrations upon. Make no mistake, Fortuna, although his sentiment against Muggles and Muggleborn was readily known, he hated all of wizard-kind as well, for just as his father abandoned him to an orphanage, his mother abandoned him by dying," Severus said quietly, unsurprised when her expression suddenly changed and she looked away. "We all have ways of dealing with pain, whether it be lashing out or burying it. I nearly went the same route, had it not been for the old Headmaster. But after losing one student, he was rather determined not to lose another regardless of whether I wanted to be saved or not."

"Is that why you went into teaching?" Lucky asked.

"I went into teaching because Dumbledore offered me a job and I had nothing better to do with my life," Severus said, going back over behind the desk. "Yes, well, and to help him keep an eye on things, for at the time Voldemort's whereabouts were in question. But all of that is over now, and it doesn't really matter anymore." Lucky thought it over for a moment.

"Then why did the others mention it?" she asked at last.

"A valid question," Severus admitted, closing the book in front of him. "We should go downstairs and get this over with. I don't suppose there is anything on the table that won't give me heartburn?"

"Take a potion in advance," Lucky advised, following him downstairs.

She hesitated when she got to the kitchen and found Maurice sitting there; too busy looking at the now finished trays of food with a dubious expression to notice her. He stared at the cornhusk wrapped item in front of him, lifting up one leaf with the tips of his fingers before pulling away again.

"Are you sure this is edible?" Maurice asked. "Can't I have eels and chips, _Maman,_ please?"

"Oh, _pardon_, Jennifer, he is so fussy wit' 'is food right now!" Fleur said, ignoring the look Jennifer was giving her. "Be polite and try a bite, Maurice! _Maman_ will make you some when we get back."

Maurice picked at the tamale a moment longer but made no attempt to eat it.

"Can we leave soon?" he asked, but Fleur had turned around and noticed Lucky and Severus standing in the door. Severus gave Lucky a sudden nudge, and in surprise she stumbled forward.

"Why, hello, there!" Fleur said enthusiastically. "You must be Lucky! Why, Jennifer, you didn't tell me she was so pretty!"

"Lucky, this is my father's wife, Fleur…" Jennifer said.

"There is no reason to be so formal, Jennifer! She is my new granddaughter, after all! We must be such good friends!" she said enthusiastically. Lucky glanced at Jennifer unsurely only to get a sympathetic look in return. "They tell me you are very smart at math. I was never good at it myself…my expertise is in charms."

"Wouldn't have guessed," Lucky said as she got escorted to the table.

"Thomas! Come here and see your granddaughter!" Fleur called out.

"I've met her," Thomas snapped back from the front room. Severus peered through the dining room to see him standing toe-to-toe with Anna and slipped into the hallway, making his way quietly around.

"It's foolish to try and debate it, Anna, what's done is done," Thomas continued. "The law has already been passed and all the arguing in the world won't change it. And that goes for you too, Alex. If anyone had any objections, they should have spoken up last night!"

"Fine! But good luck enforcing the law, Grandfather, because a lot of people are going to refuse to sign up for it! Including family!" Alex declared. Ben did a double-take when he realized she was talking about him.

"And anyone who refuses to follow it will be picked up the moment they enter one of our public areas and sent to the Tower," Thomas said calmly.

"I hope your teleportation armbands don't give out when you try to arrest every member of Haven's Row," Corey said, folding his arms.

"Is that a threat?" Thomas asked him.

"You know, Alex, I think I'd rather just go downtown tomorrow and…"

"Oh, no you're not, Ben! We don't follow bad laws! You'd be better off getting arrested!" Alex declared. Ben pulled her over.

"I have to work tomorrow…" he said in a lowered voice.

"Yes, and just how are they going to explain where you are to your Muggle company if they do arrest you?" Alex said in the same tone.

"What are you all going on about in there?" Jennifer shouted when she, Fleur and Lucky walked into the dining room with plates in their hands. "You aren't talking about politics again?"

"No!" Everyone in the room shouted at once. Standing in the parlor doorway, Severus rolled his eyes.

"You're going to be a very busy man the next few days, Thomas," Anna said. "Especially for someone who more than anyone knows that not all laws are just."

"It is just a damn card!" Thomas said with exasperation. "Stop bothering me! Go pester the Minister if you like, but don't expect me to not do my job just because you don't want to file some simple paperwork! Sorry, Fleur, we're coming," he added when he saw her pursed lips as she and Jennifer stood in the doorway. Jennifer's eyes flicked over to Severus then.

"Do you know, Jennifer, as often as this family argues, I don't remember the last time we've all been so equally divided over an issue," Severus said casually as he followed the others in.

"As long as we're all agreed that Lucky is welcome in this family, I couldn't care less at the moment," Jennifer said firmly.

"But of course! Who wouldn't want such a lovely girl in their family!" Fleur protested.

"Take the girl. Leave the food," Thomas suggested, getting a chuckle from several others.

"I kind of like it," Lindsay put in, then leaned over to Maurice, "but your Mum's eels'n'chips are better," she added in a whisper, getting a curt nod from him in response.

"Well, I love the food too," Anna protested, defiantly filling her plate. "Welcome to the family, Lucky."

"Yes, there are worse families. Well, so I'm told…never seen one actually…" Sirius mused.

"Hard to see it if you're in it," Severus retorted.

"Don't start," Jennifer frowned at them.

"Yes, we are one big happy family aren't we?" Andrew chuckled cheerfully. "Congratulations Lucky!"

"Yay me," Lucky said unenthusiastically.


	6. Chapter 6

VI

  It was well after midnight when a warm rain began to fall on London.  Severus, reading in the study, barely heard the knock on the front door.  He paused, wondering if he imagined it, then got up with a sigh when he heard the rapping noise again.  He opened the door before the man standing behind it could timidly knock another time, the man blinking in surprise when it finally opened.

  "Mr. Conners?" Severus asked, recognizing the Minister of Muggle Affairs at once.  It was really hard not to recognize him.  Will Conners had run against Malfoy in the last election, and his face had been plastered everywhere.

  "Professor Snape!  I wasn't certain you'd be here," he said quickly, glancing behind him.  "Are you…alone?"

  "Practically never," Severus said curtly.  "I suppose you want to come in."

  "Well, it is raining," Conners pointed out.  "And I do have some urgent business."

  "I hardly thought it was a social visit considering the hour," Severus said, reluctantly letting him in.  "Follow me to the library, please, this house tends to have ears," he explained, Conners looking nervously up the front stairs before following him to the second set of stairs halfway down the hall.  Conners paused just inside the door, gazing curiously around the room.   "I suppose this has something to do with the new law?" Severus inquired.

  "Yes…no…most unfortunate, really…I've had all sorts of inquiries, but no that's not really why I'm here," he said, pulling out an envelope from his robes.  "I am here to seek some advice.  You see, this appeared on my desk sometime today…a note, and I don't think it was originally intended for my eyes.  In fact, as you can see, it was partially burnt."

  "Yes…but not from a fire," Severus mused as he took the paper, glancing at the folds before even opening it and inspected the charred material.  "This is Witchlock Paper; improperly made…it should have burned to ash the moment that unfriendly hands touched it."  He carefully opened it, frowning as he glanced at the words.  "Printed with stamps…classic calligraphy print.  Ink is a typical store bought ink. Never-run brand type O8, I should think…"

  "Does that really matter?" Conners asked impatiently.

  "Perhaps, perhaps not," Severus shrugged.  "'Victory assured.  Scales have been tipped in your favor.  Pay in usual fashion.'" Severus' eyes flicked back up at the man before him.  "And may I ask why exactly you are bringing this to me?  You hardly know me, and I certainly didn't vote for you."

  "No, I suppose not," Conners said, fidgeting and looking at the letter.  "But all of my connections are within the Ministry, short of my Muggle contacts, so who could I go to with something like this?  Who could I trust?"

  "Hm," Severus said skeptically, but gazed at the letter thoughtfully a moment.  "Well, I can easily determine who this paper was made for in the lab, if you're willing to let it go…"

  "Yes, yes, of course, thank you!" Conners said with a relieved expression.

  "Yes, well, I don't know what's going on, and I really don't want to know.  So after I'm done, I'd appreciate it if you'd spare me any more late night calls."

  "Of course, Professor, I understand," Conners said, immediately becoming quiet as Severus opened the door and escorted him out.

  Severus stood by the door and watched the man Apparate before staring at the letter, wondering whatever possessed him to offer to help.  Curiosity, he supposed.  He certainly didn't trust the man, and he was quite sure Conners wasn't telling him everything.  Something about the whole encounter didn't sit quite right with Severus, and he knew he wouldn't get any sleep until he had some idea what it was.  He turned then and headed down towards the basement, knowing the sun would probably rise before he had his answer.

  Jennifer arose that morning to find her daughter sleeping on the couch.  Sighing, Jennifer opened the windows to hear Alex moan behind her.

  "Have you been out here all night?" Jennifer asked quietly as Alex blinked at the sunlight.

  "I suppose I have," Alex mumbled, pulling her blankets over her head.

  "Not feeling well?" Jennifer asked, but didn't get an immediate answer.  "I'll go down and get you a morning sickness potion then.  Don't worry.  It gets worse when you start losing your magic," she teased, poking at the blanket before heading down to the basement.

  She was surprised to find that all the lanterns were lit when she got there, and a light smoke tinted the air.  She stepped cautiously down the steps to see Severus leaning over the worktable.

  "Why Severus!  Have you been up all night?" she asked with exasperation.  Severus looked up from what he was doing and stared at her.

  "Is this the first that you even noticed?" he asked, glancing at the light filtering in from the tiny window.

  "I simply thought you fell asleep in the library again," Jennifer said calmly, walking over to the potion shelf to find the one she was looking for.

  "Well, perhaps I might have, had someone not came knocking on my door," Severus admitted.  Jennifer looked over at him curiously.  "Minister Conners found an odd note on his desk and wanted me to look into it for him."

  "Really?  Strange that he'd even ask," Jennifer said thoughtfully, Severus nodding curtly in response.  "Perhaps he'd go to Alex about some things, but I suppose not for this sort of work.  Why not the Ministry?"

  "Here, see for yourself," Severus said, and Jennifer took the note while Severus turned his attention back to the small corner he had taken off of it.  "I've almost finished the solution to dissolve my sample, then I'll be able to cast a spell to determine whom it was meant for."

  "So, some sort of scandal?  And someone did a rather sloppy job at making the paper.  I've had second years who could do a better job," Jennifer commented distastefully.  "What do you suppose it means by 'tipped the scales?'"

  "I'm sure I don't know," Severus said as he popped the paper into a glass container in front of him and gently added the freshly brewed potion until it began to sizzle.  "But something smells fishy about the whole thing, and it seems that I've been baited into throwing in my hook." 

  Forgetting her errand, Jennifer set down Alex's potion and intently waited for the results as the pulp finally disintegrated leaving only the charm behind.  With a tap of the wand, Severus murmured a soft identification smell.  The glass container suddenly clouded, and Severus squinted as he saw the image inside, groaning softly.

  "Well?  Did you catch anything?" Jennifer asked.

  "Yes," Severus said, "And once again I find myself thinking that I never should have cast my line in the first place," he said, pushing it over.  Jennifer peered into the cloudy water, and as she saw the face appear she groaned herself.

  "Draco," she murmured, leaning back.  "What do you suppose he's gotten himself into this time…"

  "Now, don't jump to conclusions, Jennifer.  Just because this letter was intended for Malfoy does not mean he personally did anything, nor does it even mean that he knows what the sender is talking about, regardless of what the message implies," Severus said firmly. "All we know for certain is that a questionable letter for the Minister of Magic somehow found its way into the hands of one of the lesser ministers."

  "One who is expecting you to report back with a name," Jennifer reminded him.  "You're not going to give it to him, are you?"

  "No, I think not," Severus said, taking the letter back and folding it over.  "Not until I have more answers about where this came from and what Draco's part is in it.  You and I are going to take a trip to the Ministry this afternoon to confirm my suspicions that Draco has no knowledge of this.  I need you and your ability for it will have to be subtle.  I'd rather not Draco directly know about this letter yet, but you should be able to read the truth of the matter from him."

  "So you think it's a plant, then?  A part of some sort of frame-up?" Jennifer asked as Severus got up to clear the table.

  "Well, if it isn't, it's the first whale I've ever caught masquerading as a red herring," Severus decided.  Jennifer chuckled, getting up to help him.


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Severus had expected another quiet day at the Ministry. But although things seemed quiet enough when he and Jennifer stepped into the lobby, he couldn't help but notice a strange tension in the air that hadn't been there before. Jennifer glanced over at him curiously but didn't say anything as they approached the desk.

"Good afternoon, Darla," Jennifer said to the thin, long-faced girl sitting there. "Stuck out here again, I see."

"Hullo, Professors," Darla said curiously, glancing over a strange book in front of her that was flipping about as if searching for a name. "Is someone expecting you? Nearly everyone is out of the office on Sundays…"

"We're here to see Minister Malfoy, if you don't mind," Severus said.

"Oh…well, I'm sorry, but Minister Malfoy isn't seeing anyone this afternoon," Darla said.

"And since when have I been considered anyone?" Severus asked bluntly. Darla grimaced, leaning forward.

"You are going to get me fired again," she said quietly.

"And the moment Penelope has another day off he'll rehire you again," Severus said unconcernedly. Jennifer fought the impulse to smile. "But I can threaten you with some unpleasantness if you like."

"Oh, go on then. I suppose I owe it to you, but don't be surprised if you meet with a sour reception," Darla said with exasperation as she waved them through.

"Thank you," Jennifer said with a warm smile as they walked down the hall. "You know, one of these days, Severus, we're going to run into someone in this place that doesn't owe you a favor and then what'll we do?" she teased him.

"Then I'll know I've finally outlived my usefulness," Severus said. Jennifer let out a short exasperated sigh.

"Surely you really don't believe that, Severus?" Jennifer said.

Severus said nothing, continuing down the hall until he noticed a familiar figure turning towards them from a side corridor. It was Arthur…looking unusually somber and concerned…and strangely old. It never really seemed to show when he was in a better mood, which was most of the time, but at that particular moment it was disturbingly evident, bleakly reminding Severus that the rest of the world did not stand still around them.

"Hullo, Arthur! Something wrong?" Jennifer asked.

"Hm? Oh, good afternoon," he said, shaking himself out of his thoughts and giving them a warm smile. "No, nothing wrong…with me, that is. I just had an engagement with Will Conners for lunch, only he doesn't appear to be here. Not really like him to forget, that's all."

"Well, he has probably been under a lot of strain concerning this…new initiative," Severus said carefully.

"True enough," Arthur agreed with a nod. "Well! I'd best be off for now. Come by the house sometime before you head back to the school, Severus, Jennifer, you really don't come around enough. Molly would love to see you, and she's been going on about how she hasn't met Lucky yet."

"You're right! We really ought to drop by, Severus," Jennifer agreed.

"Very well, we'll Owl you and make some arrangements…"

"I think not, Severus. Just drop by, anytime. Not like the house is ever empty, at least not if Molly can help it," Arthur chuckled, waving to them. Severus nodded back in return as they continued on.

"He really does seem worried about Will, Severus. It seems that they've known each other for ages, worked in adjacent departments," Jennifer whispered to him. "I have a bad feeling about it."

"As do I. In fact, there is nothing about this entire situation that I do like," Severus admitted. "Come on."

Chester, the Minister's faun secretary, looked quite wide-eyed to see them come in but didn't make any attempts to stop Severus as he strode through the room and straight into Draco's office with Jennifer not far behind.

Draco was hardly alone, for there were half a dozen of his advisors there, including Thomas' assistant, Adler Bosworth, who immediately squinted at them as they came in. Jennifer also noticed a faint wavering in the air, knowing that meant that Draco's private guard was present as well.

"I don't care how they did it, Bosworth! I care about who did it and when!" Draco was shouting at him when they came in. "Don't let him send you back until he has a better answer! What are you looking at?" He added in frustration, his eyes then darting towards the door. "Just how did you get in here?"

"Fought our way through, wands blazing…" Severus said casually.

"Right," Draco said. "Bosworth, are you still here? Go back to the council chamber like I told you to and fire Chester and Miss Spinner on your way! And don't you dare mention any of this to anyone!"

"As you like, but don't expect me to fill those positions for you or let you get angry at me when anyone else wanders in because they're not there…"

"Fine! Fine! I'll fire them later, just get back to work," Draco growled at him. Adler bowed his head and walked out with a curled lip, ignoring the look that Jennifer was giving him. "I don't suppose you know anything about this, Snape?"

"That would depend on what exactly you're referring to," Severus said calmly.

"To these accusations, of course! Get out…get out all of you," he said, shooing away the rest of his assistants who seemed quite relieved to be leaving. "Bad enough they keep picketing magic neighborhoods, the constant Howlers…as if I were solely responsible for what the Council does!" Draco shouted angrily at Severus, who simply gazed expressionlessly at him in return. "I suppose you're here to apologize for your brood's actions in all of this?"

"My what?" Severus' expression changed for a split-second before recovering. "I came here to apologize for no one. What accusations are you speaking of?" Draco squinted at Severus a moment as if trying to discern his intentions. At last he shrugged slightly and grabbed a paper off his desk, thrusting it at him.

"See for yourself if you like! Despite what it indicates, I have nothing to hide!" he said defensively. Severus took it and unfolded it with Jennifer crowding to look over his shoulder.

"'To the Minister Pretender," Severus read, adjusting his glasses. "Your efforts at corruption will soon be at an end, for your dishonesty in gaining your position has been revealed. The scales of injustice will be your undoing. Resign now, or prepare to be stripped from office.'"

"Scales of injustice?" Jennifer repeated questioningly.

"Yes," Severus mused. "I wonder if they're speaking of an actual item instead of just a metaphor."

"Bosworth wondered as well, which is what led us to the council chamber. It appears that the Scales of Judgment has been tampered with," Draco said. "And I'm sure you can guess the last time that thing has been used."

"It's used during the general election, isn't it? To tally the popular votes for Minister of Magic," Jennifer said.

"And determine who will receive fifty extra council votes when the Council is convened," Severus added with a nod, bringing the note up closer.

"But what reason would you have to tamper with such a thing? You were the clear cut favorite from the beginning, Draco," Jennifer said.

"Exactly! Someone is trying to frame me!" Draco agreed emphatically. "If anyone needed any vote tampering, it's that loser Conners! He never had a chance! He has as much people-skills as a wet blanket." Severus cleared his throat softly.

"I suppose you haven't spoken to him about this note, then?" he asked, handing it back.

"Of course not! Do you think I'm stupid enough to mention something like this to anyone? Besides, he's been driving me crazy with all these complaints about this silly non-magic registration issue. As if I personally was the one responsible, and not the council!" Draco said, his temper rising again. "Why is it that no one _ever_ seems to realize that I can't pass laws on my own? Why is it that I am always seeming to take the fall for what the entire council does?"

"No one actually forced you to run, Draco," Severus pointed out, his low steady voice somehow muting Draco's bellowing. "That you come under attack for the Council's actions is hardly unusual. It happens in every republic and democracy I have ever heard of. It's easier for people to blame an individual person for their actions rather than realize they themselves might have something to do with them coming about. But if you didn't know that when you decided to enter politics, you've no one to blame but yourself. You should have known what you were getting into…"

"Perhaps I did, Snape," Draco snapped, although his voice had somehow lost its edge. "But someone had to step in to that shambled mess we once called the Ministry and I was the only one capable of putting it back on its feet."

"I wouldn't disagree with that," Severus said evenly. "In fact, I don't believe Jennifer would even disagree with that." Jennifer did a double take.

"Well, you're quick to put me in a spot lately, aren't you?" she muttered to Severus. "Perhaps I wouldn't, and I also agree that you did know what you were getting into, Draco. Still, I would think this set-up attempt is rather obvious. Mind if I go take a look at the Scales?" Draco waved her on immediately.

"Check the feather that balances the Scale, Jennifer…"

"I know, I know, Severus," Jennifer said with a sigh as she walked out of the room.

"Now, Draco, you and I had better discuss the way your handling this," Severus said.

"You have no room to talk! I have seen you blow up over lesser things in your day…"

"I wasn't speaking about your attitude," Severus said, raising his voice for the first time. "And I will thank you not to refer to anything I did in the past as 'in my day!' I was speaking of how you were politically handling this. If you wish to storm about and come off like a spoiled brat who had his favorite toy taken away from him, I couldn't care less. Storm away all you like."

Draco gazed at Severus warily, apparently not in the mood to storm anymore.

"Exactly what do you mean, how I'm handling this politically?" Draco asked at last.

"Attempting to hide the note is helping no one but your enemy. Just because those who know you personally can plainly see that this is a set-up doesn't mean the public at large will. They are just as distrustful of the government as they always have been and will be quick to condemn you, especially if you try to cover it up."

"Do you mean you expect me to go to the public with this?" Draco gaped at him.

"I expect you to do more than that. I expect you to withdraw any and all Ministry officials from the case at once and immediately hand this to an independent inquiry. If you attempt to cover it up, you will be committing political suicide," Severus said, suddenly getting into his cloak pocket and pulling out a book, tossing it at Draco.

"_All the President's Men?_ What is this for?" Draco asked.

"It is a warning. The only one I plan on giving you," Severus said. "If I were you, I'd also have a chat with Conners about all of this before too long. I believe I shall have a chat with him myself in point of fact, and then I plan on washing my hands of this. I have meddled more than I wanted to as it is," he said and strode out of the room.

"Clever," Jennifer said as her eyes focused in on the feather in front of her. It was long and sleek, and only with careful inspection did she see the cause of the problem. "Quite brilliant, actually."

"A useful observation, I'm sure," Adler said, getting an icy look in response.

"Were you expecting something else?" Jennifer asked with mocking innocence as she turned back to her examination.

"Not really from you, no. I was planning to get a real expert in items in here. As has been often said, those who can, do, those who can't, teach," Adler sneered. Jennifer stopped cold, staring at him again.

"Don't ever let me catch you saying that in front of my husband, Bosworth," Jennifer said flatly.

"Why? It's a common phrase, I doubt he would fight me a wizard's duel over it," Adler said amusedly.

"No, but I might," Jennifer said seriously.

"Is that a threat? You know how seriously threats against Ministry officials are taken these days, Mrs. Snape…"

"It's not a threat. It's a warning, and I suggest you heed it."

"Get off my crime scene, Mrs. Snape," Bosworth said tiredly. Suddenly there was a curious knock at the door and Jennifer quickly turned her attention back to the feather, gently picking it up with her glove.

"I see the two of you are getting along about as I expected," Severus said as he strode in, looking between them. "What have you learned?"

"It seems that the perpetrator got through their advanced systems quite easily because they used no magic at all. The tips of each barb of the Ma'at Feather have been carefully brushed with a faint dust layer of pure gold, and nothing corrupts like gold does," Jennifer said, handing the feather out for him to inspect, but he glanced at it only briefly.

"Clever," Severus murmured. "Rather brilliant, actually…"

"Exactly what I said," Jennifer said, glancing over at Adler.

"However, you should probably get a specialist in here," Severus finished.

"What?" Jennifer said.

"Exactly what I said," Bosworth put in.

"An expert in ostrich feathers, Jennifer, as you said yourself this isn't a case of a charmed item but an intentionally damaged one," Severus said. "This feather has been artificially preserved over the years, but the gold has done its work, and perhaps a bird specialist may be able to at least guess how long this gold has been on it. For without a time frame, even a stray Muggle who wandered in may have done it, if he knew what to look for."

"So it may have been done recently to cover something else…" Adler mused.

"Yes, well, I doubt that is what happened but better to be safe in matters like this. Come Jennifer, let's get out of his way," Severus said abruptly, coaxing her with a hand on her arm.

"You're right, Severus, he probably needs all the room he can get," Jennifer retorted. Adler gave her a forced smile, while Severus ignored it entirely.

"I think we've done all we can here for one day," Severus murmured to her as they walked out.

"Did you learn anything more from Draco?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, I learned that Draco has a lot to learn," Severus murmured.

"That doesn't sound helpful," Jennifer commented.

"No, not really…" Severus admitted, but paused when he heard some commotion down the hall. "Oh, now what?" he asked grumpily, but picked up the pace.

"I want everyone here to just take a seat somewhere, nobody is leaving the building! I don't want anyone going in or out without a wand check!" Thomas ordered, glancing their way. "I'm afraid that includes both of you as well. No one leaves until they are cleared."

"Cleared from what?" Severus asked.

"For the death of William Conners," Thomas said. Jennifer stared at her father in shock; while Severus simply resigned himself to the fact it was going to be a long night.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Andrew Snape sighed as he tried to concentrate on his book: _Practical Uses of Elemental Transfiguration Theory; Why Bother Squeezing Water from Stones?_ He gazed at the clock thoughtfully. It wasn't really like him to be put in a position of waiting for anything…he usually had so little time for it. Still, it was nice to return to the old home and relax in the library, stretching his long legs across a comfortable ottoman. When exactly he started to doze he of course didn't remember, but what woke him was a sound of something in the distance…the muffled sound of moaning, or perhaps sobbing, of a woman. Blinking and sitting up to force himself awake, he attempted to verify the sound, but the night had gone quiet…eerily so, and things seemed unsettled. A bird fluttered past and he turned his attention to the window very much expecting an owl, but none landed on the sill.

"Darwin? Go see what that noise was," Andrew told his finch, who had been resting on one of the rafters. The finch turned his head to the side and eyed his master as if he had said something bizarre before reluctantly heading out. A sudden creaking sound followed by a firm _SNAP _made Andrew take out his wand, and apparently just in time, for now he heard someone slowly ascending the stairs.

Andrew snuffed the candles and lanterns with a wave of the hand and disappeared, positioning himself beside the door. The doorknob turned and the door opened; but the long, dark shadow standing on the last step paused before entering, and Andrew found himself holding his breath.

Finally the shadow stepped into the doorway, but before Andrew could make a move, a hand reached out and grabbed his robe, tossing him into the middle of the floor.

"If you were attempting to startle me, Andrew, you would have done so more effectively had you left the lighting at a normal level," Severus advised, waving the candles and lanterns burning as he said so. "I would have had less reason to think anything was amiss."

"I wasn't trying to startle you! I thought you were an intruder!" Andrew said as he reappeared, putting his wand away and reluctantly accepting a hand up.

"One who made it through the entire house? And with Descartes in the kitchen, Rasputin in the living room, Mercy dusting the banisters, and Dodger on the window sill?" Severus asked, pointing to the open window. Andrew looked up to see his finch sitting there with a tawny owl, both of them looking at him inquisitively. "Besides, if the recent mess in the kitchen is any indication, Alex and Ben are home as well. Jennifer is attempting to wake them. How was um…Blackpool? Any incidents?"

"I can honestly report that Lucky and Ambrose behaved themselves and still managed to enjoy themselves immensely," Andrew declared. Severus gazed at him dubiously for a moment but then nodded, walking over to his chair. "I thought they would enjoy it, of course. I ran into the place on a date with one of my Muggle girlfriends and have been going there occasionally ever…"

"Did you say Muggle girlfriends?" Severus blinked at him, frowning.

"I have a couple I see casually, yes…"  
"Is there anyone you don't see casually?" Severus retorted.

"Well, I have found it's easier to keep them from finding out about one another than it is some of the Witches I date," Andrew chuckled. "Some of them have become rather…sensitive."

"One of them, you mean," Severus said, knowing immediately he was referring to Ginger. "Just…let's try not to collect squirrel girlfriends as well, shall we? My tolerance for all of this does have its limitations…."

"No, no, no, of course not!" Andrew protested so fervently that Severus stared at him. "Alright there was one, but that was a complete accident. Mixed signals. It won't happen again," he swore, and then added under his breath, "Really, it won't."

Severus groaned, shook his head, and stared at the ice fire.

"I really need to corner your mother one of these days and find out who your father is," Severus muttered.

Andrew smiled, tapping his telltale nose pointedly before leaning his arm against the mantle.

"So what kept you tonight? I was expecting you both back well before we got home," Andrew asked.

"There was an unfortunate incident at the Ministry, and as usual I seem to have caught myself up in it," Severus said wearily. "William Conners was found dead in his office from an apparent suicide after drinking a potent henbane tea."

"What? That doesn't make sense! I wouldn't think the fellow had it in him to do something like that! But you did say, 'apparent,'" Andrew said.

"Yes, I don't believe it for one instant. Unfortunately, from the initial observations the incident seemed very cleanly done…there was no magic involved, there was nothing to set off any alarms in the Ministry, and there were no other fingerprints or any possible witnesses to lead us to a culprit."

"Any poison traces?" Andrew asked.

"The cup is in the Ministry lab, they are looking into it," Severus said briskly.

"And you aren't?" Andrew asked curiously. Severus frowned at him sternly.

"First, I am a Headmaster, not an Auror or an Enforcer," Severus began. Andrew's shoulders slumped in resignation, having heard this speech before. "Second, it was on Ministry property, and therefore most definitely their business, not mine. And third, I decided to remove myself from any investigations due to conflicts of interest and the fact I may be viewed as a possible suspect." Andrew did a double take.

"Conflicts of interest? Possible suspect?" Andrew repeated, and then folded his arms. "Whatever happened to the whole, 'leave me alone and tell the world to go to hell for the next two weeks' thing?"

"When the world went to hell, I was dragged in with it as usual," Severus said with annoyance, and then paused when he heard footsteps beginning to ascend the stairs. "See me sometime tomorrow. I may have something for you to do for me," he said in a lowered voice.

"Taking me down with you too, eh?" Andrew murmured back with a chuckle before walking over to pick up his book. Severus had already retrieved his, so when Jennifer opened the door, they both had their noses in them. Jennifer squinted at them for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Ben and Alex appear to be fast to sleep. I suppose we'll have to tell her about William in the morning," Jennifer said.

"Just as well," Severus shrugged. "No reason to have her losing sleep over it, especially since she gets little enough as it is."

"True enough," Jennifer agreed, glancing to Andrew suspiciously. "So did Lucky and Ambrose behave?"

"Better than the two of you did, apparently," Andrew said mischievously, earning a look of scorn from Severus. "But I really ought to be going now. I need to go nurse some bruises."

"Bruises?" Jennifer repeated in surprise, glancing at Andrew's expression before turning to Severus, who kept reading unconcernedly.

"Beware of bumps in the night…because you might be next," Andrew joked as he rubbed his arm and made his way to the stairs. "Good night." Jennifer simply shook her head again, turning to Severus who was still pretending to read.

"Oh, come, now, Severus, it's been a long night. Don't you think it's about time to turn in?" Jennifer said with sigh.

"I haven't gotten to read all day," Severus complained.

"You've read that book before. At least twice now," Jennifer argued.

"Does it matter? I like the book and it helps me unwind. It's not about the quantity, it's the quality," Severus argued.

"Well, I wouldn't know," Jennifer said tritely. "About either, recently," she added dryly. Severus' expression changed so subtly that only a Truth-seeker would have caught it.

"Perhaps you should read more, then," Severus answered after a moment.

"Perhaps you should read less," Jennifer suggested with a thin smile. "Either way, I'm turning in now, and I _won't_ be waiting up," she added firmly before walking out of the room. Severus glared at the door she had left open and closed it in irritation, pacing about the room.

"Finally! I am finally alone and now I can enjoy a quiet evening without anyone bothering me!" he declared out loud. "And I dare anyone to disturb it further! I shall not be manipulated by anyone. Is it not bad enough that time and time again I have had my fate decided for me, despite my best efforts to stop it? This was never my life as I intended it, and I'm quite tired of being a victim of circumstance!" he yelled, frightening Dodger who had been perched on the window still. Angrily, Severus shut the windows, sat down, searched for the correct page in his book, adjusted his reading glasses, and stared at the sentence in front of him, reading it a dozen times without comprehending it.

"Oh, damn it all," Severus said at last, tossing the book on the end table before going downstairs.


	9. Chapter 9

IX

It was quiet when Lucky woke up the next morning…too quiet for her liking. Immediately she went across the hall and woke Ambrose up, and the two of them headed downstairs, turned on the telly, and grabbed the plates that appeared for them in the dining room and had breakfast on the living room floor.

A few minutes later, Ben came down the stairs and, with a distracted wave, looked through the doorway towards the dining room and kitchen.

"Good morning, I see you've settled yourselves. Sleep well, Ambrose?" Ben asked politely.

"Yes, thanks," Ambrose said.

"Seen Alex this morning?" Ben went on, leaning to see if anyone was in the kitchen.

"Haven't seen anyone, bro," Lucky shrugged.

"Odd, we were supposed to go to the Ministry this morning," Ben murmured, turning on his computer to check his email. Lucky looked up.

"I didn't think Muggles were allowed to go there?" Lucky said suspiciously.

"Now how would we 'in the know' as some call it ever get to see our Minister representative then?" Ben pointed out. "Of course, they've always wanted us to have an escort even before this card business, but none of that is going to matter today. The Haveners organized a protest and Alex wanted to go…or so I thought…no email saying any different."

"Can I go?" Ambrose asked brightly. Lucky looked at her friend dubiously.

"No, I think your mother wants you to stay out of this business, Ambrose," Ben said. He made a motion as if to pick up the phone but then heard the front door open as he started to dial. Just then Aurelius and Alex walked in, Alex looking even paler then usual. "There you are! Overdoing it already this morning, are we? Hullo, Rel."

"Trust me, I had nothing to do with it," Aurelius said, looking at his sister with consternation. "In fact, she insists on pushing herself. Personally, I think she should stay home."

"I told you, it's too late for that, Rel, people are probably already over there," Alex said.

"Doesn't mean we have to go, though, if you're not feeling up to it," Ben said, feeling concerned.

"Oh no, we're going. And now, if you don't mind," Alex said.

"But what about these two?" Ben protested.

"We're not bringing them," Aurelius said flatly, Lucky sticking her tongue out at him in response.

"No, no, I'm sure Mum and Father are home, and Lucky's old enough to housesit even if they aren't. Besides, I really didn't want to see them this morning. They might ask questions about what we're up to…"

"Might?" Aurelius snorted at Alex, then glanced at the two kids who were watching them all carefully. "I think I'll go lock the basement first."

"If it gets to be too much for you, please say something before you fall over or get sick on me," Ben chided her with exasperation.

"I told you, I am fine, just had a bit of a shock," Alex said.

"'Ey Ben, can we borrow a regular deck of cards?" Lucky asked. "I'm going to teach Ambrose how to play poker."

"No money!" Aurelius scowled as he came back into the living room.

"No, no, no! Just a friendly game," Lucky insisted as Ben fetched the deck out of his desk. "Thanks."

"If this goes ill it's on your shoulders, you know," Aurelius told Ben as they headed out the door. Lucky snorted at that and began shuffling the cards while Ambrose pushed the plates aside. He peeked out the window to see Ben, Alex, and Aurelius walk out of view.

"Are we really not playing for coin?" Ambrose asked.

"Of course we are," Lucky said, grinning at the clock. "The Professor don't get up 'til half an hour after Jackie gets up, and she won't notice what we're even doing until the Professor gets up. So pick your poison."

"Five card stud," Ambrose said, watching her carefully as she dealt the cards. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Positive,_chico_. I got those two all figured out," Lucky said with a wink as she pulled out a small pouch of Knuts and Sickles and poured it out beside her, waiting for the reluctant Ambrose to do the same. Lucky casually put in the ante and raised it a Sickle. "Every morning, Jackie gets up, makes coffee, then walks up to the library or down to the basement to check on the grouch, and then comes back to the kitchen and makes breakfast."

"Makes breakfast? Why doesn't Mercy do it?" Ambrose asked, reluctantly matching and calling.

"I dunno. It's a couple thing. She don't make the hollandaise sauce tho…the last time she tried that was a complete disaster," Lucky said ominously, pulling the pot into her pile before putting in more ante and shuffling. "Hollandaise sauce should not be green."

"Think I can shuffle this time?" Ambrose said hopefully. Lucky stopped and stared at him blankly.

"What, you don't trust me? Is that what you're saying?" she asked. Ambrose shrugged. "When you learn how to shuffle, you can shuffle. Besides, we probably only got a few hands before Jackie gets up, she's normally up by now. You gonna lead off?" Ambrose sighed and put in a couple of Knuts.

"If she's normally up by now, maybe we ought to just watch the television instead," Ambrose said nervously.

"Or at least make the pot respectable for the few games we got, _chico_," Lucky suggested expressionlessly. Ambrose sighed and put in a Sickle, which Lucky immediately raised.

"Fine, call," Ambrose said, matching it, and Lucky grinned as she put down three jacks. Ambrose peered at it thoughtfully, putting down his hand of three kings. Lucky frowned at them. "Wow, thanks!" Ambrose said in amazement, pulling in the pot.

"Here, give me those," Lucky said in annoyance, snatching the cards and shuffling more thoroughly. "You just got…"

"Lucky?" Ambrose grinned.

"A bad shuffle," Lucky said, dealing out again and putting in ante and raising after looking at her hand. Ambrose, suddenly feeling a bit more confident, matched her bet and raised a Sickle and two knuts on his own. "You sure you want to do that, _amigo?"_

"You're the one that said we didn't have much time left. In fact, I think I smell coffee," Ambrose said. Lucky stretched a bit to see over the couch.

"There's nobody in there. But ok, it's your money," she said with a shrug, matching and showing her hand. "Full house, _amigo,_ time to pay up."

"Hang on a moment," Ambrose said, flustered. "What's higher? A full house or four of a kind?"

"What?" Lucky asked, unable to mask her astonishment as he put down four aces and jack. "Ok, there is definitely something wrong with the cards. I'd better count them."

"Right. I bet you're just letting me win to bait me," Ambrose said suspiciously as she carefully counted the deck. "Besides, it really is getting late. Let's just stop now while we can."

"Not until I'm ahead…I mean, 'til I've broke even," Lucky said then paused. "There's a card missing."

"No there isn't. It's under your foot," Ambrose pointed out.

"Oh," Lucky said, picking it up and shuffling again. "Now it's time to get serious." Ambrose dubiously watched as she dealt five cards to him, reaching for a Knut even before he looked at them. In the meantime, Lucky was staring thoughtfully at her own cards, until finally a satisfied thin smile played on her place. "So?" Ambrose reluctantly picked up his cards and moved away from the Knut pile, throwing two Sickles in. "Going for broke, amigo?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Ambrose grinned. "Gonna call?"

"Nope, I'm raisin' ya," Lucky said, putting in three Sickles. Ambrose, still grinning, stared at the pot.

"Tell ya what. I think I'll call this the last game. We both know what Uncle Severus would do if he found you gambling again," Ambrose said knowingly.

"The only way this is the last game is if one of us is outta coins, amigo," Lucky said, her expression stony again.

"All right," Ambrose agreed, digging in his pocket. He pulled out a Galleon and put it in the pile, along with the rest of his Knuts.

"Where did you get that?" Lucky asked with a furrowed brow.

"Birthday money," Ambrose said.

"I'm not gonna take your birthday money," Lucky chuckled, picking it up and trying to give it to him but he put it back in the pile.

"Who says you're going to take it?" Ambrose said, practicing his own poker face.

"Ok. Fine. Can't say I didn't try to talk you out of it," Lucky said, counting out enough Sickles to cover it before showing her cards. "_Lo siento_, Bill…a straight in hearts, can't get much better than that."

"I think I can do at least one better," Ambrose said with a grin, laying down a royal flush in spades. Lucky sat with a dropped jaw at his cards as he pulled in the pile and began stacking coins to count them.

"_Que? Imposible!_ What did you do to the cards, you lil'…_tramposo!"_

"What? I didn't do anything!" Ambrose said with surprise. "You're the one always changing the cards about, not me!"

"You must have done something, _amigo_. Do you have any idea what the odds are to pull that out of a five card stud?"

"About one in 650,000 I believe," Severus said as he strode into the living room. Ambrose let out a squeak of terror and Lucky grimaced and tried to avoid his gaze. "Pick up your coins, Ambrose. And I'll have those cards, if you don't mind, Fortuna." Ruefully, she handed them out and he snatched them up, glancing over to where Jennifer was fighting to keep a straight face near the dining room door.

"Have you both eaten?" she asked.

"Yes, Aunt Jennifer," Ambrose said dutifully before turning to Severus. "Are you going to tell Mum?"

"And how do you expect to explain your gain in funds if I don't?" Severus asked.

"I could just tell her you gave it to me, Uncle Severus. That wouldn't be very far from the truth, would it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Severus said expressionlessly. "Now why don't you go upstairs and pray that out of sight is out of mind? And Lucky, ask Ben to come down if you would please, you won't be seeing any more of _these_ this summer."

"He's not here. They went to the Ministry for some sort of Havener demonstration or sumtin'," Lucky said, cautiously trying to make her way around him.

"Fine, just go upstairs, but don't think you've just gotten _lucky_ because you have a guest. We'll be discussing this incident later," he said in a low voice.

"Ya," Lucky said ruefully then followed Ambrose up, nudging him to climb a bit faster.

Jennifer chuckled softly and smiled at Severus as he walked into the kitchen still shaking his head.

"That was well handled," Jennifer said, pouring some coffee.

"I've had some limited experience with problem children," Severus said dryly.

"She does like to test the limits, but then that's what makes it interesting," Jennifer said, handing him one of the cups.

"Right now I'm more interested in what Alexandria is up to," Severus admitted, sitting down.

"I've hardly even seen her the last few days, short of some morning episodes," Jennifer frowned.

"Yes well, according to Fortuna, she and Ben went off to 'some sort of Havener demonstration' at the Ministry."

"But we never got a chance to tell her about Minister Conners!" Jennifer said.

"I suppose she's found out by now," Severus said. Jennifer brought over their plates but then sat down with a sigh, not even looking at her breakfast.

"Just another thing she doesn't need on her shoulders. Why does she have to get so worked up about that silly identity card thing? And here she is when she should be putting her feet up thundering about trying to…to stir things up!"

"It pales in comparison to some of the messes you got into when you were carrying her," Severus said bluntly.

"I have no idea what you're referring to. I don't remember any such a thing," Jennifer said defensively, looking down as if suddenly realizing she had a plate in front of her.

"Your selective memory does seem to have grown wider over the years," he agreed. Jennifer glowering at him in response. "There's the morning post."

"Good, perhaps that will give me time to think of something clever to say," Jennifer said, getting up to get the letters that had fallen. "Why! What is this?" She said with a frown, picking up an envelope with the word, "Urgent!" written all over it. "An urgent post to you from Molly, Severus! I hope no one is hurt…"

"She would have sent it by Revere had it been that," Severus said, pushing his breakfast aside and opening the letter and putting on his glasses. Jennifer began studying him anxiously. "Stop that. You might as well be reading over my shoulder," he said, then paused and folded the letter.

"Arthur's in jail? _Arthur???"_ Jennifer said in shock.

"Yes, for the murder of William Conners," Severus said.

"But everyone knows Arthur couldn't hurt a fly! What possible motive could they think he had? Severus, we have to do something!" Jennifer said, staring at the letter.

"For once I agree with you," Severus said, getting up. "There's no help for getting involved now, that much is certain."

"I'm glad you finally stopped fighting it," Jennifer said.

"I'm not," Severus said with a scowl as they headed for the door.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N Added numbers at the end to book titles in both JC line of stories and Headmaster shorts to make it easier for folks getting into these late to pick them up, as per a reader's suggestion. Thanks for the reviews! JCWriter. _

X

When a wizard was accused of murder, Azkaban was undoubtedly the most secure place to send them. Some of the most dangerous criminals of all time had been housed there at one point or another…Death Eaters…deranged killers…even Severus himself had spent time in the prison for a murder he didn't commit. And yet, it came no surprise to Severus or anyone else who truly knew Arthur Weasley that he been taken to the London Tower Jail instead, for as Magistrate Muse had rightly stated he was absolutely in no uncertain terms a flight risk. It was the judge's private way of protesting, Severus believed, and no one, with the exception of perhaps Adler and Malfoy, raised a brow at the decision.

Despite the man's quiet nature, Severus had expected to find him pacing his cell, or at least obviously angry. Instead what he saw was a humbled, sorrowful man sitting on the edge of the bed. Severus squinted slightly. Surely murder was not what he was guilty of.

"You have a visitor, Mr. Weasley," the guard said, and Arthur immediately stood, looking not at Severus, but behind him.

"Are you quite alone, Severus?"

"Obviously not quite," Severus said evenly. The guard cleared his throat.

"I think I'd better go check on the other dangerous prisoners if you can handle things here, Professor. Think there's a tagger or a pocket poacher somewhere…."

"Thank you, Bruce," Severus said with a nod.

"Any time sir," Bruce said with an enigmatic smile before leaving.

"Jennifer?" Arthur asked.

"Downstairs chatting with Molly. Now, are you going to tell me exactly how you ended up in this current predicament?" Severus asked impatiently.

"How does any of us end up in anything," Arthur sighed, sitting back down on the cot. "Have you ever had the occasion to wonder whose life you were living because you didn't feel like it was yours?" he asked. Severus stared at him, lips thinning a bit. "Yes, well, I suppose you haven't, but I have been wondering that lately. And the answer to your question is really a bit to complicated to truly answer properly, especially not without getting others hurt as well."

"Tell me what you will, I am here at your disposal, but I'm sure Molly didn't send for me to simply sit here and keep you company," Severus said. "If I were you, I would start with whatever the probable cause is that allowed them to put you in here in the first place."

"Oh, that, yes," Arthur said, trying to reach for a handkerchief that he didn't have. "Well, I suppose I should start with the photos."

"The photos?"

"The ones sent to the Muggle newspaper. You see, they weren't exactly recent," Arthur explained in a soft voice. "No more than I am." Severus squinted.

"What about that Muggle breaking into the Ministry last weekend?" Severus asked.

"If there was an actual break-in, Severus, I don't know anything about it! No one does," Arthur said firmly.

"Exactly what do you mean by 'no one does?'" Severus demanded.

"Severus, please don't ask me, I'm merely trying to tell you about my part in all this. I'm not about to out the others any more than I was about to out you back when I knew more than I should have." Arthur said defensively. Severus frowned.

"I'm beginning to see why you didn't want Jennifer up here."

"I do have some rights to privacy by law, not that I'd want to hurt Jennifer's feelings on the matter. Now please, Severus, stop interrupting with questions I can't answer," Arthur pleaded.

"Yes, I think I shall, since my questions seem to be getting both of us in hotter water all the while we're standing here. But I can deduce plainly now that you, for some God only knows what reason, are involved in a plot to frame Draco."

"It's actually a bit more complicated than that, Severus."

"How could it possibly…never mind. Just continue," Severus said, rubbing his head.

"Well, there isn't all that much more I can tell, really, simply that Adler had a very good look at those photos and saw that things were out of place…actually, they were taken during that Ciardoth business when she robbed the vault, as you recall."

"Only too well, thank you," Severus said curtly.

"Well, I suppose after that it was elementary for him to realize very few people would have something like that, and the next thing I know I'm being brought up and asked a lot of questions I wasn't prepared to answer any more than I am now. So, there you are," Arthur said resignedly.

"No, there you are," Severus said, then suddenly made a gesture towards the chain on his own neck. "And charges or not, I think it's lack of cooperation which has landed you here more than any true belief that you would have poisoned your friend. Isn't that right, Draco?"

"He is an accessory to murder, if nothing else, Snape," Draco snapped as he stepped out of the hall with Adler and a pair of guards close behind. "I was hoping that he might be a bit more forthcoming to you than he was to us, but I see he's not even budging there."

"I assume Thomas knows about all of this?" Severus asked.

"Of course he does! He made the arrest. But right now he's following another lead," Draco said with annoyance.

"Perhaps because he believes there's nothing more to learn here," Severus mused out loud.

"Perhaps it's none of your business! You're a school teacher, not an Enforcer!" Draco snapped angrily.

"Headmaster," Severus corrected with a dangerous flash in his eyes. But Draco was not to be backed down.

"Adler! Open the window!" Draco ordered, his assistant quickly leaping up to do as he was told. A gentle breeze blew in past the bars, but nothing else seemed to happen. "Do you hear that, Arthur?"

"Hear what, Draco?" Arthur asked tiredly.

Draco stuck his arm outside and made a hand gesture to a pack of Enforcers standing in the menagerie. They then reluctantly raised their wands and magnified the sound of angry shouting voices coming from somewhere several blocks away. Most of the time it was hard to tell what they were saying, but every now and then a voice would sound above the others, and Severus could make out an occasional, "Free the Muggles!" or "Squibs are people too!" or even a hearty, "Down with Draco!" among the voices in the crowd.

"Now do you hear it?" Draco demand.

"Along with a quarter of London, I'm sure," Severus said.

"I don't care, Snape, they're already picketing the telephone booth on Muggle streets, the damage is already done. Besides, I was asking Weasley, not you!"

"I hear it, Draco," Arthur said sullenly.

"And do you know whose fault it is that they are even there?" Draco said, standing toe to toe with the bars of Arthur's cell.

"The Council's," Severus said evenly.

"No, Snape!" Draco growled. "Nelson wouldn't have asked for the Council to convene in the first place if those pictures hadn't shown up in the Times! That law would never have been passed, and nothing more would have come of that 'Muggle incident.' It is his fault, Snape! And he knows it, ironic as it is that such a mudlover would cause all of this to happen. He has spelled himself in the foot this time!"

"Draco, language," Snape said with a sigh.

"It's all right, Severus," Arthur interrupted in a strong, firm voice. "For once he is right, and I take full responsibility for releasing the photos and causing this uprising, and whatever punishment that entails I most assuredly deserve it. But I did not murder my friend, nor did anyone else who may have been involved with my actions."

"Pardon me for not believing you, because someone killed him, and it seems to me since he was obviously involved in this little conspiracy, it must have been one of you who did it!"

"Draco," Arthur said, took a minute to calm down before continuing, and then looked him in the eye. "If I knew or even suspected anyone who may have done this, I would have told you. Or Thomas. Or Severus. Or someone. But I would not associate with anyone I feel would do anything of the sort…"

"But you have little trouble with aligning yourself to conspirators and traitors!" Draco growled. Arthur paused in thought.

"I think traitor is a bit harsh, Draco," Arthur said.

"Oh, let's stop playing games, I've had enough of them, especially when it's positively obvious who you're protecting and who put you up to all of this in the first place," Draco sighed. "We all know who has been trying to get me out of office since day one. Why don't you admit it and get it over with? I'm not stupid! This is all Harry Potter's doing!"

Arthur gaped at the seething Draco in complete surprise, then glanced over at Severus, who gazed at him speculatively.

"Harry knew no more about any of this than you did, Draco! And surely you are not accusing him of murder! He wasn't even in town last weekend," Arthur pointed out.

"Maybe not, but he is your ring leader, isn't he?" Draco persisted. Arthur gave Draco a long hard look before turning to the Headmaster.

"Severus, I am sorry, but it's rather obvious we're not about to get anywhere with this. But if any of this falls on Harry…really, that's the last thing in the world I would want, especially since he had nothing to do with it."

"Right," Draco said sarcastically. "Adler, make sure Thomas knows I'm keeping him in here until someone can give me a good reason not to. And make sure separate charges are drawn up for conspiracy and leaking information to Muggles that is detrimental to society."

"Right away, Minister Malfoy," Adler said solemnly. As Draco headed out, Adler paused a moment to gaze at Severus' solemn face as if wondering what he was thinking, then dutifully followed behind. Arthur simply got up and sat with his back to the bars, obviously finished with all of them, so Severus found himself leaving the Tower with more questions than answers.


	11. Chapter 11

(It looks like one or two people skipped chapter nine; you may want to check that if something seemed missing to you the first time around. JCWriter.)

XI

Severus had no sooner gotten home and settled with in the library with a book and a modest lunch that chaos once again broke out downstairs. He might have just ignored it, had a baby not started crying in the midst of the racket. With a growl of frustration, he stormed down the stairs to see what was going on.

"What in craters-"

"Oh Severus, really! Language!" Jennifer protested, trying to calm the strawberry-haired toddler in her arms. Ambrose snickered, but ducked down behind the couch when Severus looked his way. Beside him, Lucky seemed to be simply trying to take in the situation as Natalie, Hope, and Charlie seemed to be asking a lot of excited questions at once to their Uncle Andrew who was making a futile attempt to calm them. Fortunately they seemed to become subdued by Severus' sudden presence, gazing at him expectantly and warily at the same time. "Here, Andrew, watch Amber, I need to speak to your father a moment," Jennifer said, quickly passing her off.

"Come on, everyone, let's go upstairs and see if we can get you settled," Andrew offered, urging Lucky to get up with the others.

"Settled? Settled, what do you mean settled?" Severus asked with alarm, ignoring Jennifer's attempts to hush him. "Where's Corey and Rose?"

"They're in jail, Severus," Jennifer said, leading him to the kitchen as Andrew tried to get the others up the stairs. "Apparently after Draco left the Tower he and the Enforcers went straight over to the demonstration and arrested everyone for creating 'a Muggle situation.'" Severus groaned.

"And just how many of our children are in jail at the moment?"

"Just Corey and Rose. Apparently Alex left early, and Andrew, well, wasn't seen. Aurelius was there too but he just told him he was there trying to break it up…"

"Well at least the one with a condition isn't in the mix," Severus sighed.

"Alex, no, but don't forget that Rose is due any time now," Jennifer pointed out.

"Of course, when isn't she pregnant?" Severus snapped before turning towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jennifer asked, surprised at his sudden anger.

"To make Corey a potion!" growled Severus. "And send those kids to their other grandmother! And Ambrose can go back as well!"

"But Severus! Ashley was at the demonstration too along with the rest of the Haveners! Besides, we have so much room, and it's hardly the first time we've had a full house…" Jennifer pleaded.

"You mean_ you've_ had a full house!" Severus shouted. "This is all your doing, you are the one that just _had_ to adopt Corey - who himself decided to have children than any decent family should have - and then to have four of your own, who are obviously just getting started. And then, to make matters worse, you are _still_ adding to your own collection! I'm done giving in to you! This is your horde, not mine, and I am tired of living your life instead of my own! You deal with it! I'm going back to the school where it's nice and quiet!"

Jennifer stood there in front of him like a statue with a critical look on her face until Severus finally turned and stormed off to pack. Making no move to stop him, she wordlessly headed to the kitchen to figure out some sort of meal plan.

"_Dios mio_. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all," Lucky murmured from the top of the stairs. Andrew came up behind her and gently put a hand about her shoulder.

"Don't worry, this isn't about you," Andrew murmured to her quietly. "To be honest, I don't think it's about Mum, either."

"Sure did sound like it to me," Lucky said. "What's his problem lately, anyhow?"

"I didn't know that answer myself until just now," Andrew said, almost more to himself than to her. "But I think maybe Mum is right... we should probably just stay out of it."

"Easy for you to say, bro, you don't have to live here," Lucky said but let him guide her back to the others.

Having a houseful of children again seemed quite strange to Jennifer, and there were moments when she wondered if Severus hadn't had the right idea in getting out of there as quickly as possible. But once Jennifer convinced herself to get out of bed the next morning and stopped to encourage her image in the mirror for several minutes, she decided to treat it like a family holiday. Calling out Mercy to do the bulk of the cooking, Jennifer put Amber in her playpen in the dining room and started on a large batch of scones, the smell from the oven enticing even the sleepiest of the children awake.

Lucky for her part was unusually quiet, wary of so large a congregation, while Ambrose was unusually chatty, having fun catching up with and even teasing his nieces and nephews.

"Now don't worry about practice, Lucky," Jennifer said as she brought breakfast to the table.

"Who's worried?" Lucky asked defensively.

"I'm sure the others would love to come to watch football today, wouldn't you?" Jennifer asked, their enthusiastic response enough to drown out Lucky's groan.

"I've never seen a football game before!" Charles said brightly.

"I heard it was rather boring," Hope confided in him. "But we should support our new aunt, shouldn't we?"

"I'm not sure the Professor would approve of…well, _all of us_ going to practice, Jackie, maybe I should skip it…" Lucky began, receiving a stern look from Jennifer.

"Severus is not here, and we are going," Jennifer said firmly.

"He isn't here? Where is he?" Natalie asked with a frown.

"He had some work to do and decided to head to school early. Now, finish your breakfast," Jennifer said. Ambrose gazed over at Lucky but she was picking at her scone.

"Once again he has managed to run away from us. He really doesn't like us much, does he?" Natalie sighed.

"Oh, nonsense, of course he does, don't be silly. He's simply a bit sensitive about getting his schedule interrupted at times," Jennifer said, patting her gently on the shoulder.

"A bit?" Lucky repeated sarcastically. Jennifer frowned at her.

"Wull! What is this?" Ben exclaimed with a smile. "It's a regular breakfast party! I'll just have one of these, I think…"

"Food in one hand, beeping contraption in the other?" Jennifer teased.

"Something like that, Mum," Ben said cheerfully, kissing her on the cheek and heading towards the computer. "Good mornin', love!"

"You can leave the 'good' part out, thanks," Alex said grumpily as she came into the kitchen, her eyes immediately darting over to Lucky. "Lucky, have you been in my desk recently?"

"No," Lucky said with a shrug. "Why would I? Besides, you keep your bedroom locked."

"Yes, that's why I'm asking you," Alex said bluntly. Lucky felt eyes on her as Jennifer began to study her thoughtfully.

"Well I see where I stand in this family, always the…the _suspechosa primera…"_

"Now, calm down, calm down, Lucky! There's no reason to get worked up, it's obvious Alexandria is out of sorts," Jennifer interrupted, setting a tiny pitcher of chocolate sauce beside the girl. "Alex, she hasn't been anywhere near your room. Can I help you find something?"

"No," Alex snapped, still glaring suspiciously at Lucky before squinting at Ambrose who blinked at her in surprise.

"Why don't you have something to eat. I'm sure you'll feel better," Jennifer coaxed her, gently but firmly guiding her to a seat. "It's been a while since you even took the time to eat with your family. Always on the go. And just how long have you been without your magic?" she added, murmuring the question in Alex's ear.

"Long enough," Alex retorted, sitting down and ignoring her mother's bemused expression. "I need to take care of something," she muttered, grabbing a quick plate and walking back upstairs.

"Now we're even being abandoned by our aunts and uncles!" Natalie said. Hope rolled her eyes at her older sister and began to poke at her sausage.

"Oh, poppies and cockatrices, don't be silly! Finish your breakfasts so we can get ready," Jennifer scolded.

"I'm done," Lucky said, quickly getting up and out into the hall, hoping to catch a couple of minutes of peace. But as she got part of the way up the front stairs, there was a knock on the door. Reluctantly she turned and went back down with a sigh, popping open the door and blinking in surprise to see Draco Malfoy eyeing her on the other side.

"Well, are you going to get your father or not? He is expecting me," Draco added, pushing his way into the foyer.

"He's not here, Minister Malfoy…" Lucky began.

"Of course he's here, he sent me an appointment note," Draco said in annoyance.

"Oh, it's Draco!" Jennifer said, looking slightly surprised as she stepped into the hall. "I thought I recognized your voice."

"Snape wanted to see me. In fact, he insisted," Draco said impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Draco, there must have been some crossed Owls. Severus went along to the school," Jennifer explained.

"That's funny, considering he said specifically he was going to be here," Draco said, squinting.

"Oh look! It's the Minister!" Ben said with such a curiously bright and cheerful tone that all three of them looked around. "Well, why don't you ask him in for a spell?"

"Sorry, I'm quite busy…"

"Oh, no, no, don't rush off, really! Here, can you lend me a hand for a moment?" he continued, Jennifer's eyes widening as Ben swiftly grabbed Amber out of the pen and plopped her down in Draco's hands. Amber blinked at the strange man once and started crying.

"What are you doing? Craw…"

"Why, Draco! You'd almost think you've never been a father! Oh, children? Come here for a moment and greet our guest!" Jennifer called out, her own tone changing as well while Lucky wisely decided to back up the stairs.

"Oh, it's_ him_," Ambrose said as he peered out into the hall, glaring at Draco as Natalie and Hope came down the stairs.

"Come along, come see the man that put your Mummy in jail…oh look, Draco, I think little Charlie wants to give you a hug," Jennifer said cheerfully, retrieving Amber before Draco forgot he was holding her. Charles, in fact, was standing toe to toe with Draco wearing a look fit for murder.

"Charles the Third doesn't hug dragons. Charles the Third slays dragons," Charles said.

"Why did you put our Mum and Dad and Gran in jail?" Hope asked bluntly.

"I am not responsible for your parent's actions! Jennifer…" Jennifer simply stood there with a thin smile on her face.

"But if they promise to be good, won't you let them out?" Hope asked seriously.

"He doesn't know what good is, Hope, he's a…a…._politicallean!_" Natalie declared. "I bet he doesn't know what it's like! How would you feel if someone came and took away _your_ parents, Mr. Minister?"

The room suddenly grew quiet as a tension grew in the room that even the children could feel. Jennifer and Ben exchanged a private look as Draco stared coldly at the girl. Despite the intense gaze, Natalie stood her ground, pushing her chin out and meeting it coldly back.

"I am no more responsible for your parents' decisions as I am for mine," Draco said at last, saying it slowly as if trying to convince himself as well as the children. "And I'm off to the school to give Severus a piece of my mind for his obvious misdirection! Excuse me," he said turning to meet Charlie's eyes again. He was standing by the door, holding it open, and just as Draco's back heel crossed the threshold, Charlie slammed the door hard.

"All right everyone! Back to where you were!" Jennifer said in a singsong voice, nudging them up the stairs and putting Amber back in the pen before turning to Ben. "Goodness, Benjamin that was absolutely brilliant! Stupendous!"

"Well, glad I'm good for something," he said with a chuckle as Jennifer went over and hugged him enthusiastically.

"Yes, I think I can say you are officially a member this family," she laughed before heading back in the kitchen.

"Thanks!" Ben said slightly abashed, but then paused. "What was I before?"

"Lucky," Ambrose whispered as they followed the others up the stairs, "You don't suppose Uncle Severus really did do that on purpose?"

"No, Bill, but I'm not surprised he's getting the credit for it," Lucky replied as they turned towards her room.


	12. Chapter 12

XII

It was just over an hour later when both Ashley and Rose arrived at the house, much to the disappointment of the kids who had just convinced themselves to make an adventure out of it all.

"I'm so glad you're out of there! What happened? Where's Corey?" Jennifer asked them, insisting the two tired women sit down for a moment.

"Oh, they're still keeping him," Rose said dryly. "Draco showed up at the Tower and ordered that one parent of any family with children got sent home, though I'm not quite sure what happened that changed his mind…"

"Some quick thinking from own Mr. Clemmons," Jennifer said with a grin, glancing over at the computer to see him giving her an enigmatic grin back.

"We did have to sign a legal form saying we wouldn't make any more 'Muggle' incidents over the manner," Ashley said in disgust. "I imagine that's what they'll make the rest do as well once Draco has a chance to cool off."

"Well, one thing's for sure, he hardly needs any more bad publicity right now," Ben said. "The papers are having a field day as it is with all the rumors floating around, let alone the murder."

"I couldn't care less about all of that, I just want them to drop the silly cards," Ashley said with frustration.

"From the sound of it, you're hardly the only one," Jennifer admitted. "In fact, even though I saw nothing wrong with them personally, I'm already to the point I'd like the whole thing to go away myself."

"Yes, wouldn't that be nice, but you know it's not that easy, Mum." They looked up to see Andrew standing at the living room door. "Even if a few are willing to throw in the towel and vote to turn it down, there are going to be a lot of wizards and witches who aren't going to budge so easily…"

"Well, maybe not now," Jennifer said, with a thoughtful expression on her face that Andrew became immediately suspicious of. "Not until we find out who really killed Conners, and debunk the whole Muggle in the Ministry thing. At least we have a head start on that…Arthur has already confessed to Severus that the pictures in the Muggle papers were phony. That said, I'm still not sure how it could possibly be a coincidence that those photos hit the Muggle press at nearly the same time as the murder…what with the poison and all, it's as if they had proof that anyone at all could have done it."

"It does sound fishy," Andrew agreed. "But then, I'm sure Father's looking into it…"

"I wonder how much Ron knows about those photos?" Jennifer went on, getting up. Andrew sighed in exasperation as she went to the desk to jot out a note.

"Well, one thing is certain, and that is that it's really out of our hands at the moment," Rose said, getting up even as Jennifer sent Dodger off with the note. "Although I feel awful that Corey is going to get stuck in that Tower another night."

"Hardly the first time he's been in there," Ashley pointed out, receiving a dirty look from her daughter.

"I'll go see if the kids are ready to come down," Andrew offered, running up the front stairs.

"I wonder if Conners had any enemies that got overlooked," Jennifer murmured again, and this time Ben sighed, exchanging knowing glances with Ashley and Rose. "Where is Alex? I'd rather get her opinion on all this since they worked together on occasion."

"At the Ministry with Aurelius, working on what you just mentioned, I would guess," Ben hinted. "It's all being covered, Mum."

"I don't know, I just feel like I should be doing something…"

"Maybe it would have been easier on you if we stayed in jail," Ashley said dryly. Jennifer paused her pacing and grimaced at Ashley, trying to think of a reply when the clamor of feet hit the stairs. Andrew carried the toddler over and handed her to Rose.

"There's my littlest angel! And so sleepy, too, we really ought to be getting them back," Rose said, kissing Amber.

"Man, and I was hoping to get to go to the game," Ambrose said with annoyance as he leaned on the banister next to Lucky.

"Thanks Ben, Jennifer, Andrew…"

"No trouble at all, Ashley. Do you need some help getting this mob home?" Andrew asked.

"It's fine, we have a key on us," Rose assured Andrew as he showed them to the door. Meanwhile, Jennifer was still pacing. Ben decided to take a break from his work and slipped out the front door.

"Can I watch T.V. until it's time to go?" Lucky asked.

"Um, no, you should do your summer reading first," Jennifer said distractedly.

"Come to think of it, I probably should be getting ready too," Andrew decided, excusing himself as well while Lucky reluctantly brought out her book and plopped down on the couch.

A moment later there was a flutter, and Jennifer stopped short as a tiny owl appeared at the window. Quickly she snatched up the note, unaware that Lucky was a lot more interested in her behavior than actually reading.

"_Dear Jennifer,_

_Due to circumstances beyond my control, I'm not at liberty to answer your queries on the matter at hand._

_Best Regards, Ron._

_P.S. Severus sends his regards and asks if you would kindly butt out._

_P.P.S. (Sorry about that, but that is what he told me to tell you.)"_

"Well, I like that!" Jennifer said at last. "Butt out, indeed!"

"Was that from Ron already? That was fast," Lucky commented.

"They must be at the London office," Jennifer said, pulling out her watch and looking at it. "Yes, it's reading Diagon Alley at the moment." She paused then as Severus' hand began to move, settling on the Burrow. She tapped the lid against her lip thoughtfully, glancing at it again.

"You know, Jackie, I don't see how come everyone's making any big deal about the Muggle thing in the first place, especially if the photos in the Times were phony. Ben told me he's gone in the Ministry before, and he's a Muggle."

"Well, that was with an escort, and not on a weekend or after hours, either."

"Yeah, but maybe it could have been someone who really was a Muggle and just had been there with an escort before, so knew their way around. Coulda been a caster too though…because someone didn't use magic to get in there and do the job doesn't mean they didn't have magic," Lucky mused.

"True, although…well, right now I'm more worried why Arthur would have done such a thing in the first place. It's not like him to do something like this…especially knowing it'd hurt his position on things!" Jennifer said with a sigh.

"I dunno, Jackie. From what I've seen he'd do anything for family, maybe one of them is involved," Lucky shrugged. Jennifer paused and stared at her a moment, realizing how much sense that made. As she glanced at her watch again, she saw Severus' arm swing abruptly from the Burrow to Harry's.

"Severus seems to be on the track of something," Jennifer mused, pondering what to do next as the watch then swung to "Elsewhere." At last, Jennifer decided she couldn't take it anymore and walked up to the front stairs just as Andrew was coming down them.

"Andrew, I don't suppose you wouldn't mind taking Lucky to the game yourself?" Jennifer said, and then blinked as she noticed he was already in Muggle clothes and looking at her knowingly. Jennifer grimaced.

"I knew you weren't listening to me, Mum. I had a feeling you'd be anxious to go snooping about with everything going on," Andrew said. "Come on, Lucky, we should go."

"I hope you don't mind, Lucky…"

"Nah, it's okay Jackie, 'tho you're gonna be missing the rematch of the summer, 'cuz I found out we're gonna play Hampton this week too," Lucky said. "We're going to make the Holers eat the pitch this time for sure!" Jennifer stared at her a moment then patted Lucky down, grabbing Lucky's wand out of her sock and putting it on the mantle, ignoring the girl's glowering expression.

"Very well, now you can go. You can't be getting into too much trouble without that," Jennifer said, missing Andrew's dubious grin as she glanced at the watch again. The needle swung to Ministry, and Jennifer knew it was time to go, even as Dodger appeared in the front window, hooting sleepily. "Have fun you two, sorry to miss all the action," she said quickly, glancing at Severus' note before heading out the door.

"Now, why don't I believe she's missing any action at all?" Andrew asked with amusement before handing Lucky her equipment bag and hurried out after.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N Last two chapters today; reveal and follow up...maybe a teaser too. Thanks for reading! JCWriter

XIII

Severus waited patiently for everyone, unsurprised when his wife was one of the first to arrive in the council chamber. Draco was already there as well, pacing the floor, Adler brought in Arthur, and Aurelius wasn't far behind. Thomas was next, nodding briskly to both Jennifer and Draco before heading up to the front to talk to Severus quietly. Jennifer frowned in annoyance; her father's back was to her and she was too far away to hear what they were conferring about. When she turned back towards the door, she realized Ron had slipped in and was sitting in one of the back rows with his feet propped up and Danny Brittle came in with Pavarti. Draco stopped pacing then to look at them in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked.

"I'm quite sure you'll find out in a moment," Severus said before anyone could answer, nodding to Harry and Ginny as they came in. Immediately Ron got up and switch seats, sitting right behind Harry.

"Can we start then? It may be summer for you, but some of us do have jobs to do," Draco said impatiently. Severus ignored him, and instead gestured Ben and Alex to move closer to the front, despite their attempt to sit as far away from everyone else as possible. They finally moved across from Ron. Thomas then turned around and sat in the prosecution's chair with his arms folded, nodding to Severus. But Severus waited a moment more until Joanie and Jamie came in, looking solemn as they took their seats on either side of the entrance.

"I'm glad all of you were able to make it. I realize I called you in here on short notice," Severus began. "But I think most of you will agree that this entire conspiracy situation has gotten completely out of hand and it's about time it was cleared up, regardless of our personal feelings over the issue. This can't go on forever, you know," he added chidingly.

"Snape, what are you talking about?" Draco said with a sigh. "And who exactly are you addressing?"

"Everyone, obviously," Severus said, unfazed by Draco's confused expression. "Before I explain, I would like to say for the record that I am here only to clear names, not to accuse a murderer. That's Thomas' job not mine, and that's not really why I got involved as much as the fact that everyone in this room has a family member who participated in this conspiracy, including mine," he said, his eyes looking pointedly at his daughter who sank in her chair. Draco looked over at Brittle with a frown, but she kept her eyes on Severus. "In fact, as ludicrous as it was to put Arthur in the position he was in, I see enough evidence to have any one of the conspirators marked as a murder suspect."

"Everyone except the murderer himself," Thomas grunted.

"Yes, I'll get to that," Severus assured him. "As I'm sure you all know by now, all of this started on Friday last week when some questionable photos got into the Muggle newspaper," he began, his eyes flicking over at Arthur and Ron. Arthur smiled with a wan, apologetic smile, while Ron unabashedly stared back at Severus. "Old photos, actually, old enough that no real security of the Ministry could be compromised by sending them, but alarmingly sensitive enough it might give those who've spent little time there some pause and send the Ministry into a temporary panic as to when and how anyone got into the building. That part of the conspiracy actually worked to some extent, as it forced Draco to go to the Ministry on Saturday in time to discover one of a pair of notes that were supposed to have been delivered."

"A pair of notes?" Draco squinted. "What happened to the other one?"

"Yes, well, I have an admission to make on that, Draco, for I accidentally waylaid one before it arrived. You see, it so happened that late Saturday evening, as I was attempting to settle in, there was a knock on the door. It was Conners with a quite damaging little note on "accidentally" faulty Witchlock paper…"

"What? Why am I just hearing of it? Where is it now?" Draco asked, and Thomas raised a finger in response. "And just why didn't you mention it, then?"

"It wasn't important to the murder case," Thomas said evenly, "and as you requested, Severus was handling the conspiracy issue, but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here."

"Indeed," Severus said with a nod. "When I answered the door, he seemed quite nervous…almost surprised to see me, and I should have known then that something was wrong with the situation. He fed me a story that he found the note on his desk and didn't want to turn it into the Ministry…but I think my wife's observations the next day were closer to the mark," he said, gazing over at her intent expression. "She mentioned that it would be much more likely that he had come to see Alex than it would for him to come to me, and as I thought back I realized that Alexandria had been on the couch that night, in all probability falling asleep while waiting for him to arrive." Draco glared back at her icily, but she was looking at her feet. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe Conner was simply a middleman for the true conspirator, seeing that a scandal in the Malfoy administration might help his own agenda, as it were. It was originally supposed to be his job to deliver the letters, but for some reason never got the opportunity…I'm sure all of you know between the Muggle sightings and everything else going on that it was unusually busy there last weekend, and Thomas barely left his office. My guess is that Conners then Owled Alex about his trouble with getting the note delivered, and she agreed that she would try to get it on Thomas' desk herself. She would have had more opportunities to get in that office and therefore decided to take the risk, despite the fact that it might also uncover the fact that she stamped the letters out herself."

Alex looked up as if to say something until she noticed her grandfather holding up one of the typeset stamps out of her desk and kept her mouth clamped shut.

"I wouldn't even put it past her to have been the one to gold dust the feather itself, although that also could have been the one who actually that put all of them up to this as well," Severus continued, still gazing at her. "I believe they were the only ones who had opportunity."

"What? How dare…Thomas! Why hasn't someone arrested her yet?" Draco snapped.

"I can't say I haven't thought about it," Thomas grunted, glaring at his granddaughter accusingly. "Especially since I happen to know for a fact that other than a murderer, she had to have been the last person to seen Conner alive; since I'm positive she went to ask him what happened to the letter after not hearing from him Saturday night. But at the time this information came out, I couldn't help wondering about the Muggle in the Ministry story. It's not like Alex to have gone along with a ruse like that knowing it'd damage her own personal agenda on Muggle rights. Furthermore, I can't help thinking it'd have been cross-purposes for her to cause a situation where everyone was actually in the Ministry _before_ hiding the damaging notes. On the other hand, the murderer might easily be tempted to use both situations to cause as much havoc as possible…"

"If you had arrested her for murder, Thomas, I would hardly have blamed you, since the evidence was stacked against her more than anyone else," Severus agreed. "But it so happened that I got stuck on the same point as you because of something that happened at Lucky's football game on Friday. Alex received a cell phone call from someone and left quite hurriedly, and it was Jennifer who told me it had to do with an apparent Ministry break-in. If Alex had thought it was a setup, Jennifer would have read her face quite differently when Ron called her with that bit of information. She hadn't been informed of that part of the conspiracy until she arrived." Ron grimaced as everyone turned to stare at him. "Arthur and Ron were hoping that the rumor would be enough to cause a bit of excitement in the Ministry for a weekend, but they weren't expecting anything more to come out of the event. If I'm not mistaken, the original plan was to allow the 'leak' to occur with a prudent retraction or dismissal in both the Prophet and the Muggle papers a day or two later. What they hadn't known was both their planned disruption and the scandal with the Scales were being carefully monitored from the day the plan was hatched…allow me to demonstrate," he said, swiftly descending on his daughter and grabbing the cell phone off her belt, taking out his wand and breaking it apart despite her exclamations. Thomas walked over as the rest of them stood in surprise, a small clear box in hand as Severus carefully picked out a wriggling magic bug and popped it into the container.

"There you are, Thomas, just as you suspected," Severus said calmly, "hopefully it'll give you the evidence you need."

"Some, Severus, some, but probably not enough yet," Thomas grunted. "Perhaps enough to instill doubt in a case against Alex, since she damn well isn't likely to bug her own phone."

"That's how the murderer found out what we were up to?" Alex said, obviously upset.

"Alex, just because something is 'Muggle' doesn't mean it's immune from magic tampering, your years at the Burrow should have taught you that," Severus chided her, and Arthur grimaced at the remark. "But the point I was trying to make is that the conspiracy wasn't expecting anything to come from the bogus report other than certain people having to go to work the next day…they definitely weren't expecting Byron Nelson to call an emergency council meeting." Several people, including Jennifer, Ron, Harry and Ginny, suddenly sat up in their seats. Danny remained expressionless, while Draco raised a brow.

"I hope you don't mean to imply that simply calling a meeting because of a Muggle incident is reason to blame Nelson in any way," Draco said evenly. "Don't get me wrong, the man is a bastard, but I can name dozens of others in the council who'd be outraged by such an occurrence."

"True enough," Severus said, glancing at Thomas who handed him a scroll. "And as I can see from the minutes everyone 'outraged' showed up, including all of his cronies, while most of the political body, on being given an hour's notice, declined the invitation…"

"Despite the fact it was mandatory…" Draco growled.

"Draco, you've been Minister way too long to not know the Council doesn't work that way…unless it's a life, death, or universal matter, one's absence to a short notice meeting can easily be explained with a simple 'not receiving the Owl on time.' In fact, I believe that's how I wrote mine off," he added in a lower voice. "Not that this has any bearing on the conspiracy other than the problems it created for them later on that weekend, but I do believe everyone in here might find it interesting to know that in this public record that Conners voted for the identification cards."

"What?" Alex said in surprise. "No! He'd never condone something like that, that's impossible, he of all people would have known better!"

"Not knowing him well and not taking sides with the issue, I would still have to agree with that assessment," Severus agreed.

"Unless he were being blackmailed or something…" Jennifer murmured.

"Now, let's not get overboard with suppositions here on something we have little evidence on…" Adler protested.

"Yet," Thomas interrupted firmly. "I can't say I haven't seen anything like this before, especially with someone like Conner who's been known to make some Muggle investments," he said, his eyes darting to Danny who nodded. "In fact it's disturbingly similar to some situations I have personally gone through. I believe it's safe to say I have my suspicions, although I can't, of course, comment on them specifically yet," he added, looking at his nails.

"I believe that was sufficient enough," Severus said after glancing at the expressions on everyone else's faces. "There were many people in and around that office over the weekend because of the protests, it still could have been anyone I suppose. In fact, it's too bad there was such a fuss, perhaps it would have made Thomas' case a bit easier," he added with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "As for my own investigation, I would like to also point out that even though Conner's office might have been fairly accessible, there is one part of this that wouldn't have been obtainable by any but a very few; and that is the damaged Witchlock paper which was made from your hair, Draco."

"What?"

"In fact, I'm quite sure now that could have only been accomplished by one and one person only; the ringleader behind this entire conspiracy," Severus said. "Mrs. Potter."

Draco turned around and stared at Harry and Ginny with surprise, while Harry jumped up from his seat again. Ginny, however, hadn't made a move, nor had anyone else.

"Have you gone absolutely mad, Severus?" Harry said incredulous. "What in the world would make you accuse Ginny of something like that?"

"Your pardon, Harry, I meant the other Mrs. Potter," Severus said, glancing up at the doors that Jamie and Joanie had opened a moment before.

"He was talking about me," Mary Malfoy Potter spoke from where she stood in the doorway, Cedric by her side as she walked into the Council chamber.

Draco and Harry stood agape for a full two seconds before both of them started shouting at once, first shouting at Cedric and Mary and then finally turned to yell at each other while everyone else in the room began exchanging rueful glances or admiring the ceiling. Severus allowed it to go on a healthy moment or two before glancing over at Thomas, who had already pulled out his wand. With a curt nod Severus did the same.

"_Quietus mute!"_ they both shouted, Thomas aiming at Draco and Severus aiming at Harry. The two men gurgled as if they were still trying to talk through it, but before they could do anything else, Severus and Thomas were dragging them up front and separating them. It was then and only then that the two seething men noticed that nobody else in the audience seemed in the least bit surprised and began mouthing silent questions.

"Of course I knew, Harry, why do you think Sirius offered to take you on another Yeti expedition last weekend?" Ginny said quietly. Harry stared at her in disbelief.

"Dad needed a vacation anyway," Cedric said. "And to be fair, even if we did have to come up with something to get him out of town, that part of it was simple. Dad never kept me under his thumb all the time, at least not in the way Mary's father always kept her...she may as well have been shackled to that house." Draco began trying to shout again.

"It's not going to do any good now, you know," Mary said. "We went through too many lengths to keep you preoccupied last weekend so you wouldn't barge in and try to stop us, and we're certainly not backing out now that it's done. Yes, I did taint the feather and try to set you up so you would have your hands full, I admit it, just like Cedric's uncle and grandfather tried to distract you from what was going on. But whether either of you like it or not, Cedric and I are married now, and if anyone's to blame for anything that happened during the conspiracy, it should fall on the two of us."

"Mary's right, it's done, and we're not going to hide from the two of you anymore. It's not like we actually wanted to hurt you, and we definitely didn't want anyone to get murdered," Cedric said quietly.

"I don't think there's any reason to blame yourselves for that, Cedric. I have a feeling that would have come about at any given opportunity," Severus said, releasing Harry from the mute spell. "I believe all of your mayhem that weekend was just too good for the murderer to pass up, not to mention getting that foolish identification law to pass that had everyone ready to riot."

"All the same, I can't believe you would stoop to this Ron, let alone you, Arthur…" Harry snapped angrily.

"Neither of you were listening to reason, Harry," Arthur said. "After all, they're adults now. The only reason it took them this long was out of respect for the two of you, not that either one of you deserved it the way you were acting."

Thomas eyed Draco's babbling again, and then reluctantly released him from the spell.

"…don't care what anyone says, I want this thing annulled!" Draco rasped.

"Isn't that what your father said when we got married, Draco? That and the whole disowning you thing?" Parvarti suddenly spoke up, making Draco turn and stare.

"So you knew about this too?" he asked her.

"I went," Parvarti said.

"So did I," Ginny added proudly, making Harry turn and stare as well. "Well, someone needed to stand up for them, after all."

"So I take it everyone knew about this but me?" Harry said.

"Or me," Draco snarled.

"Well, I didn't," Jennifer spoke up, then looked over at Alex, "although I should have guessed after the way you tried to avoid me so much last week."

"Sorry, Mum, but we were afraid the two of you would talk us out of the plan…" Alex said.

"Or perhaps convince you to take a more subtle approach," Severus frowned at her.

"Professor Snape, you of all people should know that Malfoys don't respond well to subtlety," Mary said dryly, turning to her father. "Go ahead, Father, disown me if you like, or put me in jail for all I care. But this marriage is final." Draco stood looking at her with whitened knuckles for a moment before suddenly turning and striding out the door. Sighing softly, Parvati excused herself and followed.

"Adler, let Weasley go, I think it's safe to say it's over now," Thomas said, and Arthur quickly thanked him and went over to Cedric and Mary.

"Then it's time to write that retraction," Ron said, getting up.

"How about adding an obituary," Harry suggested, Ron clearing his throat as he left.

"And what about the murder?" Adler asked Thomas.

"That we'll need to work on. If it was Byron that was behind it as Severus suspects, I want an evidence trail so thick even Vallid wouldn't dare defend him before we try for a conviction," Thomas said with a determined flash in his eyes.

"That's what it would take," Danny admitted with a sigh. "By the way, welcome to the family, Cedric," she said, Harry groaning softly as if in pain.

"Thanks, I think," Cedric said with a chuckle.

"Don't expect much congratulations from me, considering how many extra hours I had to put in because of you," Thomas grumbled, and then paused in thought. "Then again, I'll call it even, considering I probably owe you one, Mary."

"Really? What for?" she asked curiously.

"For not falling in love with a Snape," Thomas said bluntly, earning dirty looks from practically everyone.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV

Severus, Jennifer, Alex and Ben walked into the Baker Street house, every one of them relieved in their own way to be home. But it wasn't more than a moment later when Ben stopped dead in his tracks on the way to his computer, calling out Lucky's name in surprise and causing the other three to peer in the parlor door.

"Lucky Snape, what in stars happened to you?" Jennifer reiterated as she saw the girl's blackened eye and red and purple marks scattered on her face and arms.

"_Un pequeño accidente,"_" she offered, immediately causing further suspicion from both Severus and Jennifer.

"Don't worry, Mum, it looks worse than it is," said Andrew, walking it with a potion kit. "I was waiting for it to come to a head and pulled her out of the brawl quickly."

"Now why is it that I suspect that you were the one that started the brawl in the first place?" Severus frowned at her.

"It wasn't my fault, I didn't throw the first punch. They kept insulting American soccer an' how the country as a whole treats it," Lucky said with a shrug. "All I did was point out that our American soccer league had something their league ain't got, and I got pummeled."

"And exactly what is that?" Severus asked impatiently.

"Beckham," Lucky said simply.

Severus and Jennifer looked completely confused.

"No doubt about it, you deserved to be pummeled," Ben said with a chuckle, turning to the computer. Andrew simply took out a balm and started spreading it on her face, ignoring her protests.

"So much for the 'safe' summer activity," was all Alex would say as she sat down and propped up her aching feet.

"I think I'll go make us all some tea," Jennifer said after a moment, having come to no decision on how to handle it.

"Once Andrew is done I expect you have reading to do, Fortuna," Severus advised with a frown, and she quickly agreed. He squinted at her suspiciously a moment as if debating if he could trust her to do so. Finally he moved over to the desk for a pair of note cards, glancing briefly to make sure they had the correct letterhead before walking into the kitchen and sitting at the bar. "Let's see, what's the date?" he said more to himself than to Jennifer, glancing at the calendar in the annoyance. "Where in the devil did my two weeks go?"

"Poor Severus," Jennifer said with genuine sympathy as she put the kettle on and went over to lean on the other side of the bar in front of him. "You have a few days left, I'll do everything in my power to make sure nobody disturbs the study."

"Although I appreciate the sentiment, I'm afraid it's too late for that," Severus said, writing out a note on the first card. Andrew walked in to wash the balm off his hands. "I am requesting another emergency council meeting…this one with a decent forty-eight hour notice, and I must make certain that everyone who needs to be there will be there this time…take this to Hermione at the school, Dodger. It needs to get out on the school friend's list."

"Wait a minute, Father, what ever happened to the whole 'staying neutral' on the Muggle card thing?" Andrew challenged him.

"I am planning to stay neutral, Andrew, I simply believe that the law should be considered by a full wizard's council not a lopsided one, not to mention the forty-eight hours will give time for the truth to come out about this planted scandal being nothing more than a silly plot to get Draco out of the picture during Mary's wedding," Severus muttered, obviously still annoyed about it.

"I take it that Alex is cleared of the murder now, though, right?" Andrew pressed. Jennifer turned around with her hand on her hip.

"How do you know about that?" she asked.

"Who do you think got the stamps out of her room?" Andrew answered evenly, sitting down at the bar.

"Thomas suspected Alex was involved in this early on, although I'm not sure he knew in what capacity; I would go so far to say that he probably suggested Arthur's arrest not only to try and get more details to what was going on as it was to entice me into getting more involved," Severus said with annoyance. "But one of the things that bothered the two of us the most was how quickly the council meeting was called…before the photos even broke in the paper, and yet Nelson seemed to know there had been a supposed "break-in" despite the fact that very little people at that point knew about it…I could have seen outrage after the papers hit the stands, but before? The fact that he had extensive knowledge of Muggle technologies made me wonder, although I admit I wasn't positive of where he had hid the bug until I spoke with Ron about who he had or had not spoken to about his part of the conspiracy before that point. I believe, circumstantial evidence withstanding, that Nelson saw several advantages of calling the hearing as quickly as possible, knowing that word may have not gotten around and there'd be a lack of interest in going to a meeting with such short notice, as well as giving him an extra day of mayhem in the Ministry. People would be going in and out of Conners office to protest or complain or throw in their support constantly, making it quite easy for someone to come in and slip something into his drink when he wasn't expecting it. As for motive, it seems that Conners had a large interest in Muggle investments and probably got involved with Nelson through bank issues…Nelson seemed to visit that office often enough over the last few years from what Penelope and Darla have told me, he hasn't been around the Ministry at all recently except for the meeting itself."

"Well, if your and grandfather's guesses are correct, I can understand why," Andrew said, gratefully accepting a cup of tea from his mother.

"Unfortunately, right now it's all they amount to…guesses. Thomas doesn't bring anyone in unless he's positive he'll get a conviction," Severus said.

"That's why everyone likes him, he actually makes arrests stick," Andrew agreed. "But that doesn't make me any more comfortable knowing someone capable of murdering someone like that is on the loose."

"Anyone's capable of murder, as you well know, Andrew," Severus said evenly, sipping his tea. "Although I admit this one was more daring than usual. We'll have to keep on eye on him from now on."

"We?" Jennifer repeated curiously.

"They, I meant they," Severus said, annoyed at the knowing look that spread across his wife's face. "As for the conspiracy itself, under the circumstances I won't be surprised if Draco dropped all charges and tried to clean the mess up as soon as possible. Although if I were in similar position, I'd probably throw them all in jail."

"Sure you would; for one night, so they can mull it over a bit," Andrew said knowingly. "But maybe if Draco and Harry hadn't gotten so pigheaded about trying to keep them apart, they might have realized their kids have grown up and they're going to do what they like regardless. Maybe you should have put them in jail instead."

"I tried that once, it didn't work," Severus muttered in annoyance. Andrew looked amusedly at him before getting up.

"I better head home, I have a date tonight…"

"Only one?" Jennifer teased him.

"It's been a long week," Andrew said dryly, tweaking a couple sandwiches off a plate that appeared on the counter before heading out the door.

"I wonder how long it's going to take for Draco and Harry to come around," Jennifer sighed, sitting down beside him.

"Considering how it was mishandled, I'd guess quite some time, even with Parvati and Ginny there to try and talk them down. They both can be quite stubborn when they have their backs to the wall," Severus said with a shrug.

"Yes," Jennifer said distractedly. "It's hard to let children go sometimes, no matter what age, when you're afraid it'll turn out badly. We did what we could in school and rightly so, but they are adults now, and have to make their own decisions."

"I'm hardly going to disagree with you, especially when I said as much to Harry before we left," Severus said.

"Yes, I know," Jennifer said in such a thoughtful tone that Severus glanced sideways at her. "Severus, I spoke to Alicia earlier today, she's decided to stay in the Yukon for longer than she expected, because Zoë and Jacob are coming up to do a bit of research and have bought some property up there…"

"Jacob?"

"Jacob Greencastle, Zoë's current husband," Jennifer explained. "Some sort of weather researcher I guess, they're expecting to stay until Yule."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Jennifer, it isn't as if they can't pop out for a breather if the location gets to them," Severus shrugged. "And isn't there a small wizard community in northern Canada somewhere? Xavier Platt still lives out there as I recall."

"Yes," Jennifer said, lacing her hands. "Did you also know that there's also never any true sunlight during the winter up there?" Severus suddenly stared at his wife.

"Oh, no," Severus said. He didn't speak again for a very long time.

_Yes, I know. Terribly evil of me ending it like that, but there you are. I hope you enjoyed my newest of Headmaster mystery series. Now I'm going to take a break from the shorts, because there are just some things that just can't be handled as a short, and I need the freedom of breaking off on tangents if required...(no not Zed Tangent...the other kind.)_

_Shorts don't allow me to really express details on individual students or get deep into how the school and staff has changed since Severus took over and how it's effected not only his relationship with Jennifer or what's got him so worked up lately (although I trust I gave some clues to that in this one.) or what to me is one of the most important relationships in the series other than Severus and Jennifer...I trust you guess from my ending that I'm about to get into it._

_I've now adding the last (because it's open ended) JC Series: The Heritage Series which begins with Jennifer Craw and the Paintings of Twilight which occurs the school year following this story...nine years after Headmaster of Hogwarts. If you haven't guessed it, that means it's mostly about Alicia and Pyther, and one I've been planning since Alicia was born, which is why I decided to come back after 2 years of not writing to dig back into it. Hope you stay tuned, it's a long one! JC Writer_


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